We Have Time: Part 1 Everything is a Loop
by Angelfire274
Summary: WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS. It's been a week after Miss Peregrine and my friends showed up at the end of my driveway, The bird disappeared, leaving behind a map to the Academy. A Peculiar academy that I think Miss Avocet started. I don't remember, all I know is that I'm faced with the decision to leave my parents behind again and go on another adventure, with my true family.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! And welcome to my obsession! That is this book series. THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE BOOKS GUYS! I... JUST... *heavy breathing* AHHHHHH!**

 **Now as to regards to this fanfiction story; I am in LOVE with this series. It is just so freaking good! The movie was... good... ish... I won't bring that subject up, because I'll start ranting. *cough book Emma could kick movie Emma's ass any day of the week cough***

 **But yeah... sorry this chapter is long. I've had ideas for this story since the second I finished reading Library of Souls, which is when this story takes place by the way, like a week after Library of Souls ended.**

 **SO if you have NOT read the books: first off, what is wrong with you? There amazing, you must read them. And second, I'm going to try my best not to spoil anyone that hasn't read the books, but its good if you read all three books because I'm going to try to stick true to them, and have references to stuff that only Miss P fans will be able to spot right away. (no promises on that though lol) Taking some other genius's characters and writing them yourself is very tricky (so I don't blame Tim too much... but still. SHAME MR. BURTON) but I will try to stick to their original personality the best I can.**

 **This story will have three parts to it, or so my plan is. And this is part 1, named Everything is Loop. So please review, tell me what you think. This is my second fanfiction story, so I would like to believe that I know what I'm doing.**

 **For those of you that read the random poem I wrote in regards to this story, thank you! That will make sense later as this story progresses, but it might be awhile.**

 **For now I will shut up, and hope that you enjoy!**

We Have Time:

Part 1; Everything is a Loop

Chapter 1

I ran down the hill, through the forest fast as my legs would take me. "Guys slow down!" I heard Horace say from the back. I continued to run, seeing a town on the horizon. It came into view, just down the hill. I saw the Academy cascading towards the sky in the distance. The others shuffled around me, out of breath from running so much.

"We made it." I panted.

There was a lot of people out, some were minding their own business, some were staring at us with curious glances. I bolted down the hill to talk to them.

"Jacob wait!" I heard Emma shout behind me.

I didn't stop, I kept racing towards the ring of people. They were all looking at me like I was some mad man as I raced into the town and stopped. Looking in all their eyes. They formed a circle around me, caging me in their trap.

"Help us!" I demanded, out of breath. They looked at me with confused faces, and advanced forward, shielding me in. I looked around frantically at all of them. "Please! Help us!" I pleaded with them—nothing, they didn't say a word. "Our Ymbryne was kidnapped again, and..." I stopped out of breath, feeling worried and scared. Just as quickly as it came, my fear turned to anger. Why were these people ignoring me? My Ymbryne was gone, taken, maybe hurt, maybe dying, and they didn't even care! The towns people kept advancing on me. "Help us, please!" I shouted and shoved the first person I saw. He was a middle-aged man, with grey hair—he reminded me of Grandpa. He gave me a look of disgust and shoved me back.

The people kept advancing on me, looking angry and hateful now—not confused anymore. Some of them had weapons—guns and knives. They looked like they wanted to hurt me, or kill me. Did they know what I was? Were they racist towards Peculiars?

"You killed him" a voice said in the crowd. I turned around and saw a little girl, maybe ten years old. "You killed him and you let the other one die. You're a monster, we don't want you in our town."

"What?" I asked confused.

"You just let him die." Another voice said to my right. It was an older woman.

"You let him die." The person next to her repeated.

"He said he was sorry, and I you just left him there." A man said, glaring at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" I said. But I did, there was a small voice in the back of my head yelling _Bentham, their talking about Bentham_ and the memory came back to me for a split second.

"And you killed the other one!" A little boy screamed. I looked at him confused.

"You killed him!" A woman shouted. "You're a murderer!"

"Monster!" More people shouted at me. "Murderer! Monster! Get out!"

I looked around at all of them frantically confused, frantically scared. And then I saw him, walking through the back of the crowd, into the ring they had formed.

Abraham Portman stopped in the middle of the ring, right across from me, looking me in the eyes. "What have you done Yakob?"

I looked back at him, tears forming on my face.

The people in the crowd grew silent, like they weren't even there.

"You killed someone."

"He was a Wight!" I screamed. "I was avenging you…"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Grandpa please!" I pleaded, tears falling down my cheeks. That small voice in the back of my head didn't need to help me remember. The memory of shooting Golan in the head is with me every day, every-time I close my eyes I see it. His blood. His body falling over the railing.

"I thought you were better than I was. I thought you were stronger. I guess I was wrong." Grandpa said. And he turned away from me leaving the crowd.

"No Grandpa wait!" I screamed, but he was gone. "Grandpa!" I sank to my knees in the dirt.

"You murderer!" The people shouted at me. Some of them came up and they started kicking me. "Monster! Get out of our town! Get out!" I laid there and let them kick me. I didn't have to strength the fight back.

"Jacob, wake up." A girl said behind me. She put her hand on my shoulder and lightly shook me with strong arms. "Jacob, come on get up, we have to keep moving." I turned to face her. Looking in her kind brown eyes, her mousy brown hair hung like curtain drapes on each side of her face. "Jacob wake up." She said again.

* * *

My eyes shot open, only to be closed again as the morning sun blinded me. My skin felt sticky with sweat. I looked up groggily, the sun hurting my eyes. "Jacob come on." Bronwyn said. I nodded and sat up.

I stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants. The others we're all milling around, getting everything ready for our journey today. I ate a granola bar and drank some water for my breakfast, then hosted my backpack—ready to go.

Our camp site was on a small hill. In front of us was the swampy area the children came in through; the loop they found to get to my house. And we were heading back through there. Behind me was the home I was leaving behind... again, probably for good this time. I stood there staring behind. My parents we're probably already up looking for me. I left them a note, but what good would that do? They'll probably think that Miss Peregrine kidnapped me or something.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma said, appearing next to me.

"Just looking behind. Saying a silent a goodbye."

She grabbed my hand.

"Do we even know where this Academy is? Or _when_ it is?" I asked.

"We have a map." She said unsure. "Miss Peregrine wanted us to go there for some reason."

The Academy, or the Peculiar Academy if you will, is apparently a place where all the Ymbyrnes and Peculiars are being held now. Till they rebuild some loops, I'm guessing. We found a map leading to it back at my house along with Miss P's things. We think that she was planning to lead us there. Wherever she is now? She disappeared and we took the map and left.

"We'll find her again." Emma said. Always the confident one. "She's probably waiting for us down there."

"She just left though." I said. I remembered, just a day ago, she was standing outside in my backyard and said she wanted to talk to me. And then she leaves, turns into a bird and flies beyond the clouds; leaving me, a very confused teenage boy, standing in my yard staring off into the distance. She didn't return all night. We found this map she set down on the table in my kitchen, and set out from my house early in the morning hoping to find her where this map leads.

"We'll find her." Emma said again squeezing my hand.

"Love birds! Come on!" Enoch shouted at us. I let go of Emma's hand, gave her a quick peck on the lips, and raced down to join the others. Emma remained standing there, blushing furiously at my back before following me down.

* * *

We walked for two miles, reached the swamp, and successfully passed through the loop. I went first leading the way. As was instructed in Miss P's handwriting on the back of the map, the Academy is in modern times apparently. Passing through the loop, I saw a light ripple in the sky and the rush of blood flowing in my ears signifying that we passed through successfully. Every loop must do this, though I've never realized it until now, the ripple in the sky at least—that's new.

Another odd thing: we weren't standing in Bentham's home, but an open field meadow that seemed to stretch on for miles.

"Is this right?" Hugh asked.

"I believe so…?" Millard said unsure. He stared down at the map. "It said for Jacob to pass through first so this should be right."

We walked for hours.

Bees kept flying towards us to stick to Hugh, or buzz around his head.

Being in the middle of nowhere, and knowing that there was nothing after us, we all started to get bored. Some of us desperate for entertainment.

Enoch picked up a pebble and threw it at Horace's head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Horace spun around demanding.

"Nothing. Just thought it would amuse me." Enoch said.

Another few hours went by, and the sun was starting to set.

Olive kept seeing something off to the side that would catch her eye. But the second she would start to wonder off our path Emma would grab her hand pulling her back into place beside her.

Bronwyn held up the rear, carrying some of our bags.

"How much farther?" Olive complained.

"Almost there." Millard said from the front.

"We've passed that tree before. And I recognize the same bees. We're going in circles." Hugh said after another thirty minutes of walking.

"We stayed in a straight line though." I said.

"Yeah, Hugh are you sure those bees didn't just follow you and that's why you saw them twice." Emma said.

"No. I'm pretty sure we're lost." He complained.

We gathered around each other. The shape of Millard's head under his cap stayed fixed on the map. "No... No?" He said.

"Do you even know where we are?" Hugh asked him.

"Of course," Millard stated, lifting his head up.

"Then where are we?" Hugh demanded.

"We're right here." Millard said pointing to a spot on the map that of course none of us could see.

"We can't see that Mill." Emma said.

He picked up a twig off the ground. "We're right here." He pointed it at the map.

"And where do we need to be?" Hugh asked.

"Over here somewhere…" Millard said, tracing a circle with the stick. "I think?"

"You think?" Hugh demanded.

"Well yeah, I mean..." Millard protested.

"Hugh calm down." Emma said.

"We can't afford to get lost okay, Miss Peregrine is out there!" Hugh shouted.

"And we're going to find her." Emma said calmly.

"You know what? I bet anything she's back there at Jacob's place and we never should have even left." He said.

"I thought she got kidnapped again?" Olive asked.

"No, what did you say Jake? That she just left, saying she'll be right back." Hugh asked me.

"Yeah, but she didn't come back. That night at least." I said.

"Well what if it took her a long time? What if she's back there right now? And we're the ones who just wondered off."

"Are you saying we should go back?" Horace asked.

"I'm just wondering why she left? If it's so important that she would have to abandon us, why wouldn't she quickly come back?"

"Because she got kidnapped, something bad happened again! The Wights are still out there, we didn't beat all of them!" Olive shouted, stomping her little foot.

"Let's just go to the Academy." Emma said.

"How? We can't even find it?!" Hugh snapped.

"We're not lost." Millard said. "But I think we do deserve a break." He said referring to Hugh.

"No I don't want a break; we need to keep moving!" Hugh shouted.

"Are you okay?" Millard asked looking at him.

"I'm fine, let's just keep moving."

"No. I'm tired." Olive complained.

"And hungry." Claire spoke up.

"NO I HAVE TO FIND HER!"

We stared at Hugh, surprised by his outburst.

"Sorry, I just… ugh!" Hugh groaned running his fingers threw his hair in aggravation.

"Just what? What's wrong Hugh?" Bronwyn asked.

"Oh, he's just upset that he can't explore the entire world looking for his dead girlfriend." Enoch said.

Silence. Stunned silence. We all looked at each other unsure of what to say now. The silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity until Hugh's fist collided with Enoch's jaw. Enoch fell to the ground and Hugh tackled him, springing all of us into action.

Hugh held Enoch down, opened his mouth and let the bees come out, stinging Enoch all over. Millard, Horace, Olive, and Emma tried desperately to pull Hugh off Enoch. Getting stung by a bee in the process Emma gave up and stepped back. She looked at me and I quickly wiped the huge smirk off my face. Hey, Enoch deserved it in my opinion.

"Hugh stop! Let him go!" Bronwyn said coming over and simply pulling Hugh into to air like he was a sack of potatoes and then dropped him on the ground. "Enough! Stop fighting!" She chided at both.

"Like I said, let's take a break." Millard said.

* * *

After an hour break we started moving again. Millard in the lead staring down at the map, Enoch behind him, pulling stingers out of his arm and casting glares at Hugh every now and then. Hugh stayed in the back walking alongside Bronwyn. They seemed to be deep in conversation, though I couldn't hear what they were talking about.

Emma kept staring at me funny. "What?" I asked her.

"I couldn't help noticing your eagerness to do nothing back there." She said sarcastically.

"He deserved it." I mumbled.

Emma started chuckling quietly.

"You do not bring up Fiona like that. It was uncalled for."

"I agree."

"Yep. We're on the right path, I know it." Millard said.

"You positive?" Enoch asked him sarcastically.

"Yes."

The sun started to set, turning the blue in the sky to a dark orange. Claire suddenly stopped moving and sat down on the grass, exhausted.

"Stop." Bronwyn shouted.

The rest of the children groaned in unison. "We can't afford anymore stops." Millard said holding up the twig.

"Well too bad. Claire needs to rest." Bronwyn said.

I agreed with Millard, I need to keep moving, I wanted to keep moving. So, I walked over to Claire, bent down, and picked her up, carrying her on my hip. "Millard. Onward."

With a wave of the twig, that I'm assuming was supposed to be a thumb up, we turned around and marched on.

"You just try to get some sleep, okay?" I said to Claire. She rested her head on my shoulder in reply. I noticed Emma smiling at me, causing me to blush.

The dark orange color of the sky turned to black with sparkling stars, and the endless fields of tall grass now had a small cave sitting in the center. The small heavy breaths I hear puffing out of Claire told me that she was sound asleep, and drool, from the back, trickled down my arm. We stood huddled up at the entrance of the cave.

"If my map reading skills are correct, and I'm sure they are, the Academy Loop entrance should be right beyond this cave." Millard said quite proud of himself, ignoring Enoch's eye rolls.

"I don't want to go in there it's too dark." Olive whined.

"Since when are you afraid of the dark, little dove?" Emma said to her, igniting her hand—lighting our way.

"Not when I'm with you." Olive said hugging her.

The cave was cold, musky, and making me drowsy. It was my turn to hold the rear, feeling too sluggish to walk faster. Bronwyn was in front of me, and asked me, for the what felt like the thousandth time, if I wanted to pass Claire over to her. But I refused, not minding to hold the little girl while she slept. It only took a few minutes after entering the cave for everyone else to feel sluggish and exhausted.

"It shouldn't take long. We're almost there." Millard kept saying.

"Didn't you say that three hours ago," Hugh asked him sarcastically.

"This time we really are going in circles." Horace complained.

"We're not lost. We're not lost. I know exactly where we are." Millard kept saying staring at the map. My eyes started to droop. I stared at the dust and rocks that I was walking on, wondering which ones I'll collapse on.

Out of nowhere my head shot up, eyes opened wide—that sickening tug I know so well surged through my body. Light at first, then it grew. Hollow. One. Nearby.

"STOP! Stop!" I shouted.

Claire gasped awake. I handed her over to Hugh and walked past all my friends who had frozen in place, looking at me for help.

"How close am I to it?" Millard asked me.

"You're not. It's around the corner."

I peeked around the wall of rock into a tunnel of complete darkness. I looked back at my friends. "Stay." I commanded and stepped into the darkness.

"What are we his dogs?" I heard Enoch say.

"You'll be able to tell if there's one behind us, too right?" Horace shouted.

I leaped down a ledge squinting my eyes in the dark. It was further on down. I heard someone else leaping down from the ledge. Annoyed for only a second I turned around, knowing who it was. Even in the dark I could make out her brown eyes and wavy golden hair.

"What are you doing? I said stay back." I said calmly.

"I'm coming with you." She said.

"Thank you, but I can handle this."

"But you don't have a light." She said waving her flaming fingers in front of me.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight. She shook her head at it and I trudged forward, not surprised to hear her following me.

"My light is better." She whispered.

A bright smile crept to my lips. "True. But the Hollows can't sense this one."

"I'm sure they'll be able to see it just the same."

I turned around and faced her. "Please go back Em, I got this."

"No," she simply said.

"I don't want you getting hurt." I said pathetically.

"I can take care of myself just fine thank you."

"Right, so go back and protect the others."

She sighed in annoyance. I tried to get her to turn back again but she cut me off. "You can say whatever you like Jacob, I still won't turn around as you've noticed thus far."

"I love your voice."

"Flattery will not work either."

"Whatever you say bae." I was certain that would put her off guard.

"Why don't you just dispose of the beast so that we can both go back."

"Okay sexy hot head." I grinned.

"You're lucky you're cute." She said looking at me, purposely holding the flame of her skin closer to my face.

Gggaaarrrr…

"Duty calls." I said turning down a path to the right, out of sight from Emma. I stumbled onto it, literally. It was chilling against the wall of the cave more surprised to see me than I was to see it.

It only took seconds for the confusion on its face to melt, and the hunger to appear. It lashed at me—with its body, not it's tongues. I quickly dodged out of the way.

 _Stop. Get down._ I said but it came out as English. Damn. I was rusty. It lunged at me again, this time with the tongues. I grabbed one in my hand, slamming it into the rock.

 _Get back. Get back._ English again.

I quickly side-stepped around it, dodged another attack of tongues—dancing a deadly dance with the beast.

Gggeeeerrrrrr! It roared, which I assumed meant; _shut up, and hold still so I can chomp your face._

"Jacob!" I heard Emma scream. The seconds it took me to look away to see where Emma was, I got pinned to the ground. The jaw unhinged and it looked like the tongues were coming for me eyes.

 _Get off me!_ I shouted in Hollow language.

Just as quickly as it pinned me down, it got back up. I got up and thrusted my hand out towards it where an invisible force pushed it into the wall. I had my stuff back! But the Hollow glared at me, not wanting to be controlled.

I stared into its vacant eyes and the urge to kill it wasn't there—now that I had it under my control. _Do you know the way out of this cave?_

Don't ask me why I thought trying to speak with it would be a good idea. I don't know why I did it myself. I don't think Hollows are even capable of communication? I've never tried, before now.

It continued to glare at me. But I could tell it was thinking along with fighting from my grasp.

I tried it again… just cause. _Do you know the way out of this cave? Academy?_

It cocked its head to the side, it's lips curling into a snarl. I knew it was understanding what I was saying. I don't know how, but I could read the look on its face saying; _what's in it for me?_

 _Show me and my friends the way out of this cave. To the Academy. And I will give you what you want._

I waited.

For what?

I don't know.

Just when I was about to lure it farther into the trance, pick up a rock, and kill it…

 _Give me my reward now, and I'll do as you ask._

I stared at the Hollow in disbelief. It spoke to me. It's Hollow language accent sounding like mine, but raspier, like it was parched.

 _If you harm me or my friends. I will rip out your tongues and hang you with them._ I spoke back to it.

It nodded in understanding.

I slid my palm across the rocky surface of the wall, cutting flesh. I swallowed and held my bloody palm out for the beast.

A single tongue uncurled from within its jaws. I winced in pain as the tip of the tongue dug into my cut palm, scooping up blood that I saw seeped into the flesh of the tongue like water on a sponge. After a few more tastes, it was satisfied, curling it's tongue out my hand and back into its mouth. I ripped a piece of fabric off my shirt and wrapped it around my hand.

 _This way._ It said. And I followed.

 **Please, please, please review! Reviews cause me to write more haha!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry. Sorry I took so long. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and please keep reviewing I love seeing them, it warms my heart! :) Here is chapter 2 whooo! Hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **I will remind everyone again: SPOILER ALERT!**

 **And I forgot to say this last chapter: Disclaimer; I do not own these characters Ransom Riggs does.**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 2

We stepped back over the ledge, where I left the others. To my relief, Emma was there with them.

"Jacob! Do something like that again, and I'll slap you across the face with my ignited palm." She chided to me.

"Understood." I said hugging her.

"Did you get rid of _it_?" Horace asked.

 _It_ stood off to the side of me, away from everyone else, staring at me. I actually forgot that the others couldn't see it, for a second. I quickly glanced at it, then to everyone else. "Let's rest for the night and head out tomorrow."

"Agreed." Millard said, collapsing onto the ground, as well did the others.

"Got anymore food Bronwyn?" Hugh asked.

I sat down with my friends, watching the beast, shooting it silent threats with my eyes—willing it to behave. It stared back at me, and quietly sat down as well—not removing its glare from me.

"You okay?" Emma said. I felt nervous, thinking she figured out that the Hollow was here with us. I didn't want the others to know, which I know won't work. How am I going to explain to them that I know the way out of this cave with something better than a map? The bigger the concern though; how can I even trust the Hollow to do what I asked?

"Jake… hello. You okay?"

I shook my head. "Yeah. Fine. Just tired."

"What did you do to your hand." Emma asked picking it up in hers, warming it gently.

"I accidently cut it on a rock, it's nothing."

Everyone began to lie down and fall asleep. I laid down as well, Emma position in the crook of my arm, her warm hand on my chest. Millard laid on the other side of me, I discovered, unless the dirt learned to yawn. It didn't take long to hear everyone's soft snores and deep breathing. I was comfortable—yet I couldn't sleep. It wasn't just the fact that my mind wouldn't stop rushing a thousand questions at once, nor the fact that I don't want another dream about my Grandpa (seriously, why do I keep having dreams about him, is he haunting me or something?), it was the beasts glare.

It sat there, leaned up against the wall, glaring.

 _Go to sleep._ I mouthed.

It stared back.

 _Are you sleeping?_

No reply.

 _You better be sleeping._

I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

1 Mississippi. 2 Mississippi. I'm such as idiot! I can't fall asleep! That Hollow will kill all of us. Why did I think I could trust it? Stupid.

I opened my eyes and took a peek at it. It looks more relaxed, and the feeling in my gut told me that it fell asleep. Assuming we would be safe for now, I closed my eyes again.

That's right, go to sleep. Please don't kill us. 3 Mississippi. Please stay asleep, please behave. 4 Mississippi. I'm using my power right now, aren't I? That's why its cooperating? 5 Mississippi. What if the second I fall asleep, the chain will be broken, and it'll kill us? 6 Mississippi. It's all right, calm down. Get some sleep, you'll probably need all the strength you can get. 7 Mississippi. Millard stop breathing in my face! 8 Mississippi. I wonder where Miss Peregrine is? 9 Mississippi. I can't sleep.

I opened my eyes again. The Hollow was still there, chest slowly rising and falling. I heard a shuffle on the ground, and bent my head upward. Hugh was sitting away from everyone, watching.

I got up as gently as I could, to not wake Emma, quietly walked over to him, and sat down.

"Can't sleep either?" He asked, his voice sounding husky. I could tell he was exhausted, so the only reason he was awake is because his mind wouldn't relax either.

"I didn't want to sleep, I felt like someone needs to keep watch. You know, just in case." He said looking at me.

"Yeah."

"Enoch didn't get to you too, badly did he?" I asked after a while.

Hugh shook his head. "I can handle Enoch. Had plenty of experience with handling him."

"I don't think she's dead, Hugh."

I saw his jaw clench.

"She has to be out there somewhere." I continued.

"Thanks Jacob. That… that means a lot."

We were silent for long while, listening to the crickets chirping in the cave. I could feel the Hollow with that feeling in my gut, it was still relaxed—thank God. I thought about Hugh and Fiona, it was clear how much Hugh loved her. He had every right to punch Enoch in the face. And right now, I could tell how hard it is for him to sit here with us, knowing he wants nothing more than to set out and find her.

"Don't feel bad for me Jake." Hugh said suddenly breaking the silence.

"What? I don't."

"You're looking at me like I'm depressing or something."

"I'm just trying to… understand how you feel right now."

He looked at me confused.

"I know that you rather be out there searching for her."

"You're right." He took a shaky breath, running his fingers through his curly dark hair. Some bees swarmed out from the gesture.

"I love Miss Peregrine, I mean she saved me and Fiona's life. And I hate myself for thinking this, but… I rather be looking for Fiona than her. If I could choose to have either Fi in my life or Miss P. I'd choose Fi." Tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm sorry for saying that."

"No, I understand." I said awkwardly.

"I love her." Hugh continued. Tears quietly streaming down his face—his bees landed on them as if trying to wipe them away.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "It's okay Hugh. I would feel the same way if it was Emma." And it was true. If I had to choose between Emma or Miss Peregrine, I'd make the same decision Hugh would, and choose the love of my life.

Hugh sniffled, and started standing up. "Well, if you're going to stay up, then I'll try and get some sleep."

"Yeah, go ahead." I said to him.

"Thanks mate," he said patting me on the shoulder.

I heard his footsteps shuffling away, then stopping to lie down. And then I was alone with my thoughts.

I sat there staring the cave ceiling, thinking. I thought about Emma, I thought about Miss Peregrine, where she may be, I thought about the Academy, what was there. Part of me wondered, what if it was a trap? I'm still curious to why my grandfather trusted Caul. Which of course led me to think about my grandfather, and the that dream I had the other night—seeing him, felt so real. How could that be?

Are you haunting Gramps? Yakob I have better things to do with my death, don't forget that Hollow sleeping under your nose.

I looked back at the beast. Same spot, same position, same easy breathing. That answered my question whether if Hollows sleep or not.

My eyes and head started to droop. This Hollow isn't a threat, and I could use some sleep.

"So, what do you do for fun around here?" Emma asked me smiling.

We were standing in my living room, the warm winds of Florida slapping the side of the house.

"Show us your modern stuff!" Olive squealed in excitement, hovering into the air to meet my eye level.

"Alright." I looked around the house, finding out what object I could explain about first.

"What's this?" Millard asked holding up a remote.

"That's a remote. It operates the television." I grabbed it, pointing it at the wide-flat screen, and push the power button. The dark screen flashed on, displaying the local news. "There was a robbery at a Walmart in Orlando today." The news reporter was saying.

"Woah…" they all sang in unison. Which made me grin.

"Jake." My dad called from the kitchen.

"Feel free the explore." I told everyone.

I walked into the kitchen, looking at my mom, dad, and Miss Peregrine.

"Yeah," I asked.

"We're going to go out for the day, wrap our heads around this." My dad said.

"Okay." I said.

"I assure you these children are all well behaved, nothing in your home will be damaged, I promise." Miss Peregrine assured my parents.

"Yeah, uh, enjoy." My mother said quickly shuffling out of the house with my dad.

I followed them out the back door. "If you could just give them a chance. I swear there surprisingly easy to fall in love with. Once you get to know them."

"We just need some time to think, Jake, okay?" My dad said.

"Okay."

I watched them get into the car and drive away. I was actually relieved that they would be out for the day. I smiled brightly walking back into my house.

Emma and Miss Peregrine stood in the doorway.

"Woah." I said almost running into them.

"Everything alright?" Emma asked.  
"Yeah, fine. They're just going out for the afternoon, evening, maybe night… it's fine."

"Jacob?" Miss Peregrine began.

"No, really it's fine. I love that you're here."

"But do they?" Emma asked.

"They'll come around."

"Mmhm." Miss Peregrine said.

The children were everywhere in my house, checking out every room, asking millions of questions. It was adorable!

I walked into my bedroom, and found Horace standing in front of my closet, examining my clothing the way a judge would the performers in a show.

"Uh Horace?"

"This, is atrocious! This is what I'm doomed to now?"

"You don't have to wear them." I said.

"Is this the best you have? Really, I'm curious."

I opened a closet in the spare bedroom and pulled out a tuxedo.

"This is my church tux." I held it up to him. "The fanciest clothing I own."

"Hm." Was all he said.

"Well of course it's not as good as yours." I said to cheer him up.

"I've seen worse." He said simply.

Then a thought hit me. "Horace, I have to show you the mall! A lot of clothing stores. Want to go?"

His face lit up like a candle. "Of course, I want to go!"

We ran back downstairs. "Hey I'm taking Horace to the mall, you want to tag along?" I asked Emma.

"Love to." She said.

"I want to go too." Said Olive.

"Awesome." I said to them.

I found Millard in the den, sitting in an armchair reading my Harry Potter books. Yes books. I'm pretty sure he already finished the first one in an hour. "Hey we're going to the mall, you want in?"

He looked up from _Chamber of Secrets._ "Can I wear my clothes?"

"Uh no."

"Then I'll stay here." He said going back to reading.

"What house are you?" I asked smiling.

"Ravenclaw of course. Along with the other intellectuals. You?"

"I've taken quizzes and have gotten Slytherin, Hufflepuff more than once, but _Pottermore_ told me I was Gryffindor. So I'll go with that."

"What is this _Pottermore_ you speak of?"

"You can't see it until after you finish all seven books, now see you later."

"Okay, I'll probably finish them by time you get back." He said as I left the room.

"If you do, then you have another peculiarity other than being invisible." I said laughing.

"Having two peculiarities doesn't exist anymore." He said in a sing-song tone.

Anymore?

"Hugh. Want to come shopping with us?" Emma asked.

He was sitting in the living room, staring out the window, being a lot more quiet than usual. "Sure." He shrugged standing up and joining us.

Miss Peregrine was in the kitchen making cookies with Bronwyn and Claire. "Hey I'm taking Emma, Horace, Hugh, and Olive to the mall, that okay?"

"Just be careful. And don't stay out too long." Miss Peregrine said.

"We won't." I promised. I met everyone at the front door. "Ready?"

They all nodded their heads, muttering mmhm's

"And Olive claims to have lost her shoes so we might be on the news tonight." Emma told me smiling.

"Olive really?" I asked looking at her.

"I don't like wearing them." She simply stated.

We passed Enoch in my front yard. "Hey want to come to the mall with us?" I thought I should be nice and ask.

"Nah." Was all he said. "Actually, question."

"Yeah."

"Are there in small animal hearts I can take?" he asked me, dead serious.

I looked at him freaked out a little. "Uhhhh… there are lizards, they're hard to catch, but knock yourself out." I told him.

He nodded and walked away.

"Didn't your parents take the automobile?" Hugh asked.

"I usually just walk anyway, it's not that far." I said.

"Millard didn't want to come?" Emma asked.

"Nope. He's busy discovering one of the most popular books of this time-period."

"He didn't want to be naked, did he?" Hugh asked laughing.

"Yes, he didn't want to be naked." We all laughed.

"Afraid we'll embarrass you, Jake?" Hugh said grinning.

"No, not at all."

"So you wouldn't mind if I…" he let the bees out, having them swarm around us and stick all over him, like they did in the photo of him.

"Oh my okay." I said quickly looking around at my neighbor's houses.

"Or if I do this." Emma said igniting her hands.

We were all smiling and laughing playfully.

"What about this…" Olive said lifting into the air.

All of us quickly grabbed her—hearts racing and pulled her back down.

"It's all fun and games, till the little girl floats away." Hugh said.

"Guys come on, hurry up!" Horace shouted impatiently from ahead of us.

I woke up from my memory, looking up at the cave floor. Emma was curled up next to my chest again. Wait. Did she wake up and come over to me? I shook my head, confused. I'm certain it was just a dream, but the memory of the peculiar children being in my house felt so real. I sat up—a smile on my face. I'll take the fuzzy headed feeling—that day was the happiest in all my life.

Looking at my phone told me that it was morning. My expression turned from happy to serious, then to horror.

I looked behind me and noticed that my Hollow was nowhere in my sight.

 **This one was simple. (in my opinion lol)**

 **In the next chapter things are going to start getting serious!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry for the wait, and as the great Rick Riordan said; "Sorry for the last cliff hanger, JK not really." it was something along those lines.**

 **Anyway here's a very long chapter for you guys. I hope people are still reading this and that they are enjoying it!**

 **Disclaimer: the character's herein belong to Ransom Riggs, although one of them belongs to me, Alyssa Long.**

 **Warning: there is some bad words in this one.**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 3

Everyone was stirring awake, sitting up. Their adorable, peculiar, faces yawning and rubbing their eyes—unaware of the threat lurking under their noses.

The threat that _I_ caused.

God! I'm such an idiot! Like I could trust a wild Hollow to sleep peacefully in the corner while we all slept? Come on Jacob!

I was standing up, frantically scanning every inch of the cave. The beast was nowhere in sight. What the hell! Where did it go? I couldn't sense it with my power at all. Maybe. . . maybe it left. Just woke up and decided not to help anymore and booked it away from me. I guess it's for the best.

"Hey. Something wrong?" Emma asked, putting her hand on my shoulder making me jump.

I spun around to face her. "What? No, I'm fine."

She looked at me quizzically. "Hm."

I went to pick up my backpack feeling her worried eyes on me the entire time.

After eating a light breakfast of hardly anything at all, we headed further into the cave. Millard leading us again with the map. As we walked; I was fully on edge—looking around the cave as we passed. Every stone, cave crawler, stalactite, and dirt.

Where was my Hollow?

This isn't cool! What if it's playing a game with us? Hunting us all in a way that I won't sense it until it's too late. Emma kept shooting me worry-filled glances, which didn't help me feel any better. On top of losing a Hollow I also lied to everyone about it.

We circled around in the cave for an hour. Just like yesterday, Millard was convincing himself more than us that we were not lost. We all knew we were lost. Caves are not _this_ big.

"That's it! I'm calling it." He said turning around, facing us, lowering the map. "We're lost."

Olive and Claire's shoulders drooped.

"Well I could've told you that, you lousy lout." Enoch stated.

"Give me the map." Emma said walking up to Millard holding out her hand.

"What good will you do with it?"

She gave him a dangerous look, holding her hand up in front of him to signify the increase of its temperature.

"Okay, right, sorry. Here." Millard said handing over the map. Emma glanced at it, the floating Newsies cap of Millard looking over her shoulder. "See this is what confuses me—" he was saying. I zoned their conversation out, honing in on the inner Hollow sensing equipment that was my body.

Claire pull on Bronwyn's sleeve. "I'm going to the bathroom." Her little voice said walking off around the corner and Bronwyn turned to wait for her to come back.

"I don't even see the cave on this thing." Emma was saying turning the map at different angles.

"The cave is right there. The loop entrance to the Academy is on the other side, we just need to figure out how to get out of this cave."

"Which the map doesn't even tell us. Right?" Emma asked.

Millard ignored her, trying to grab the map from her.

Emma moved the map out of his reach. "Right?"

"Yes." Millard said in defeat. "We need another map for this cave which we don't have. It probably doesn't even exist. But I thought that this cave wouldn't be this hard to navigate through. I mean it's a cave."

"So what do we do?" Horace spoke.

"Try to get out of this damn cave, obviously." Emma said giving Millard the map. "Let's keep moving. We'll have to find a way out eventually."

"Come on Claire, we're getting ready to leave." Bronwyn called.

We all started moving onward again. Olive and Bronwyn standing in place waiting for Claire to come back.

"Claire." Bronwyn called again.

No answer.

"Now what." Emma complained.

"She said she had to use the bathroom." Bronwyn said.

"The girl weighs about 20 pounds, how much piss can she hold?" Enoch remarked.

"Go check on her Wyn." Emma said concerned.

"Claire! Let's go!" Olive shouted.

Still no answer.

We were all worried now.

Bronwyn headed around the corner to check on her.

She was gone for two seconds, when the _feeling_ hit me at full blast.

"Oh shit." Hugh said when he saw me grab my chest.

"Claire! Bronwyn!" We all screamed.

"Claire!"

"Wyn!"

"If you're dying! Scream now!" Enoch shouted.

"You're such an ass." Emma said to him.

Claire screamed. All of us bolted into their direction.

We raced across the corner Bronwyn slamming into us. "Jacob!" She shouted looking at me. "I think it has her."

I ran into the feeling. The others following on my heels.

"I thought you said you kill it?" Enoch asked. I ignored him.

The Hollow must have dragged her away. We ran a much longer distance than we thought we would. Claire's screams serving as our guiding light.

We stopped, panting for breath. Bronwyn looked down and saw a pink ribbon lying on the ground. "Oh no." She said picking it up and holding it to her chest. "Oh no, oh no, no." She started crying.

We heard the Hollow roar, the sound echoing off the walls all around us.

"Jacob where is it?"

"I don't know. I can't see it. It's too damn dark." I said squinting. Emma came closer to me with her hand ignited, but it didn't help any.

I knew it was here. I could feel it. If I couldn't spot it, then I'd try to stop it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

 _STOP! COME HERE!_ I shouted in Hollow language.

It worked. The beast lowered itself from the ceiling, hanging off a stalactite—tongues wrapped around Claire's waist. To the others, Claire was hovering in the air like Olive. She looked terrified, tears pooling down her cheeks, her ruffled pink dress in tatters, caked in dirt. She was too scared to mutter a single sound.

 _Drop her!_ I said in Hollow tongue.

It did. She screamed as she hit the ground. Bronwyn scurried over to her, picking her up, pulling her back behind me with the others.

 _Where did you go?_ I said to the beast.

 _She looks delicious._ Was all it said in return.

 _You can't eat her! Or any of the others._

 _What about you?_ It said. The raspy sound of its voice sending chills up my spine.

"Jacob what's going on?" Emma whispered next to me.

 _I'll give you more. If you show us the way out._ I said.

It lowered itself onto the ground, standing in front of me.

"What's bloody going on?" Enoch said loudly making everyone jump.

I turn to face everyone. _It's going to show us the way out of the cave._ I said in Hollow language.

"We don't speak that mate." Hugh said.

I shook my head. "It's going to show us the way out of the cave." I repeated in English this time.

". . .Wot?" Millard said.

"It's okay. . ."

"You're stupid." Enoch said. "You really think that you can trust it. It's a monster! It won't lead us out of the cave but further into it where our bones will never be found."

Olive and Claire started whimpering.

"That won't happen." I said.

"Oh really?" Enoch replied.

 _I'm starving._ The Hollow said behind me.

I looked at it over my shoulder. "I'll feed you in a minute." I said in English.

Fuck.

They stared at me shocked.

I opened my mouth to prove what I meant by that statement.

"He's going to sacrifice one of us to it!" Enoch shouted.

"No I wasn't!" I screamed back.

"Then what were you going to do? Huh?"

I pulled the wrapping off my hand, showing them all my cut.

"It's fine. I know what I'm doing—"

"Oh. . . my bloody fucking—"

"It's okay." I said.

"You're feeding it?!" Enoch continued to shout.

"Jacob. . .?" Emma started.

"It's okay. I'm fine. It's going to help us."

I am stupid. Stupid that I forgot that Hollows are impatient.

It lunged at me from behind, tossing me into the air and slamming me into the wall.

I lifted my head up, dazed.

It took no time in going for my hand—shoving a short, skinny, pink tongue into my bleeding hand making me holler in pain. Once it was satisfied from a few of my drops it stood back away from me, and was even kind enough to lift me back on my feet.

 _This way._ It said and headed further into the darkness.

I looked at everyone else, supporting my bloody hand. "Come on. It's okay. Trust me." I got a bunch of looks in return. Some worried, others critical, one that said _I hate you_. Guess who that was from?

But as reluctant as everyone was, they all took deep breaths and followed me—me following the Hollow.

It literally took ten minutes. TEN MINUTES! To get out of the cave. No joke the exit was right there where I first met this Hollow. Figures right?

We all squinted our eyes at the sunlight.

"Thank Birds." Millard said. "Okay, awesome, where are we?" He said looking at the map.

The Hollow turned to go back into the cave.

 _Thank you._ I said to it.

It ignored me, slipping back into the darkness. I didn't want it to leave. I know, I know, I'm crazy.

"Look at that!" Horace said. "Jacob was right." He said purposely clear and close to Enoch's ear, causing his face to turn the complexion of a tomato.

"Whatever." He muttered under his breath.

"We're in the loop now right? I don't see any Academy." Hugh said.

He was right. We were standing on a tall hill, below us looked like a town. I don't know where. I did know that it was modern times from the fashion style of all the people crowding the streets below, like any normal busy day. There was tall buildings and even taller ones in the background—I'm going to take a guess and say that we were near New York.

"All I can tell, is that the loop entrance is beyond that cave." Millard said.

"So are we in a loop?" Bronwyn asked.

"I honestly can't tell." Millard said.

"I didn't see the ripple thing in the sky." I admitted. The last time I passed through a loop, the one that led us to that dreaded cave, I saw a ripple go across the sky.

Everyone else looked at me confused.

"Wot ripple thing?" Bronwyn asked.

"There's this effect in the sky whenever you go through loops. . . and I'm the only one that can see it. Got it. Awesome." I said

"Well we're not in a loop then?" Millard said. "Which means we have to find it. . . fantastic." He muttered the last part sarcastically.

We continued walking. I'd be so happy to not have to take hikes to get places anymore, and to have nice hot meal, and medicine for my hand because oh my god it hurts!

"Okay family." Millard said getting us all the huddle up. "The loop entrance has to be in that city down there."

"And since there's a lot of people we need to stick together." Emma said, "Millard strip your hat off. Everyone hold hands and whatever happens don't let go. By the size of that crowd, it'll be easy to lose someone."

We emerged into the crowd of people. None of them showed us any attention, they were too busy bustling around with their schedules and staring at their IPhones. We all held hands and moved forward. I wasn't sure where we were heading in the city, Emma had her hand on Millard in front of me and he seemed to know where to go.

* * *

 **Changing point of view here: First person is now Second person. Bear with me.**

* * *

As they were walking through the endless sea of people that was impossible to see over, Olive looked up and saw a bird following the group from the top of the roof. And she could swear that it was a Peregrine falcon. She frantically looked around at the others in front of her. She was in the back with Claire beside of her, holding her hand, with Claire holding Bronwyn's hand in front of her. Olive had her lead shoes on, which always made walking more difficult and tiring, she also had her rope around her waist that Enoch had the end of. She stared at the rooftops, trying to see her headmistress again. She was so sure that she saw her, it wasn't something her tired mind made up.

She kept searching with her eyes, until she finally saw the falcon again. The falcon looked around searching the crowd until it finally set its eyes on the group, on Olive.

Miss Peregrine! She's here!

"It's Miss Peregrine." She whispered to Claire.

Claire looked at her confused and looked around at all the people, then at the sky.

"I saw her. I know I did, on the rooftops." She said excitedly.

"I don't see her." Claire replied, still looking around.

The group stopped moving in the crowd for a few minutes, probably Millard deciding which turn to make. Olive took the time to untie the rope from her waist and tie it to her shoes.  
"Olive, no!" Claire said surprised and concerned.

"I'm know what I'm doing." Olive said and slipped out of her shoes.

Claire watched her float up to the rooftop where she barely missed to grab onto a gutter, where she dangled and started shuffling her way across. Claire brought her attention back to the crowd nervously. The screeching sound of lead shoes on concrete following her, that people kept tripping on, as Enoch continued to drag the rope.

The children stopped moving again and huddled back up, standing off to the side out of people's way. Millard staring down at the map again. Claire glanced up at the rooftops. She couldn't see where Olive went.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere." Millard said, rubbing the dull pain in his forehead.

Olive shuffled along just under the roof. The falcon hopped from tile to tile, trying not to lose the children. "Miss Peregrine." Olive called.

The falcon turned and saw the little girl hanging off the roof. The bird was far away on the other building but she could still make out the floating girl. The bird's eyes jutted out in surprise when she saw her.

"Hang on. I'm coming." Olive said as she shuffled her way to where she ran out of ledge and prepared to swing herself onto the next ledge. The bird squawked at her in concern and made to fly over there.

Jacob, Emma, and Millard were bent over the map, figuring out ways to go. And Claire constantly, nervously looking at the sky.

"Hey. Where's Olive?" Horace said next to Enoch.

Enoch held up the rope, "She's right here." He tugged the rope. It was longer than last time he checked it. When he tugged on it, it budged liked it was stuck.

"Olive." He demanded tugging the rope hard.

"Let me see it?" Jacob said ripping the map out of Millard's hands.

"You can't read a map dear." Emma said.

"You can't either." Jacob said.

"Better than you can." She replied.

"Do you even use maps anymore?" Millard asked.

"Not really. Everything's on GPS."

"Well why aren't we using that then?" Millard stated.

"I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that if I type Peculiar Academy onto my phone, I'm not going to find anything."

"Try it." He said.

Enoch and Horace reeled the rope in like a fishing line. The end of it came. They stared wide-eyed with jaws dropped at the lead shoes swinging off the end of the rope, then at each other, then quickly to the sky.

"Do you see her?" Enoch asked.

"Well if I did I'm pretty sure it'll be too late." Horace replied.

"Let's just go down that way." Jacob said pointing to the right.

"Nah, I think we're supposed to go straight." Millard said.

"You sure?"

"Ugh, men and directions." Emma sighed.

"Which way would you like to go?" Jacob asked her.

Emma looked at him taken aback, "I don't know where the bloody place is. But thank you, you just earned a point in romantism."

Jacob blushed.

"OH MY BIRDS!" Bronwyn screamed, causing everyone to look at her, then noticing Enoch holding Olive's rope and shoes, and no Olive.

Enoch dropped the shoes, holding his hands up. "I'm sure she's fine."

Emma wore the expression of a blood thirsty demon as she advanced on Enoch, causing him to back away.

"She said she saw Miss Peregrine and took her shoes off." Claire spoke up.

They shouted Olive's name, heads toward the sky.

"There she is!" Jacob shouted, spotting her hanging off a building's ledge. They all ran underneath her.

"OLIVE." Emma demand like an angry mother, stomping her foot, "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"I saw Peregrines" was all they could hear her say.

"Oh my god." Jacob muttered.

Millard sighed and went back to his map.

Enoch began to swing the rope with the shoes still on the end of it like a lasso in the cow-boy movies.

"Woah mate, don't! There's normals everywhere, you could hit one of them." Horace said.

"So wot?"

The sickening feeling of Hollows being near was tugging at Jacob's gut once more. More powerful was a voice—a raspy voice in his head. There was so much commotion going on that he couldn't make out what it was saying. He looked around and glanced back up at the hill—at the cave, where his Hollow was standing out there staring right him, trying to tell him something.

He closed his eyes, put his hands over his ears, and concentrated.

 _It's a trap. Go. They're coming._

He opened his eyes again and felt the twinge in his chest. Hollows. A lot. Everywhere. Jacob looked around and he could see them now, in the distance advancing this way, were a butt-load of Hollows, like 20 at least, surrounding them. They knew that the children we're here. Which means that they we're near the Academy and that also means that Whites are surrounding them as well.

"We need to go. We need to get inside somewhere." Jacob said.

"Now?" Millard asked.

"Yes, now!" Jacob demanded.

Olive hung off the ledge, the falcon right in front of her now, so close that she could touch her. "Headmistress." She said with glee. The Peregrine Falcon looked at her loving.

And held out her wing as if to stroke the girl's hair, when a bullet lodged itself into her feathers, sending her sailing off the building.

"NO!" Olive screamed bloody murder.

Before anyone of the others could react, something like a hook-shot fired at Olive, grabbing her dress—yanking her out of sight.

It all happened so fast that you couldn't even register it into your mind.

Hands reached behind Enoch and Horace, gagging them, and pulling them away.

Before Hugh could open his mouth to let the bees attack, a hooded figure smacked him over the head.

Bronwyn got pushed to the ground along with Claire—both dragged away by the attackers, out of sight.

Jacob ran in circles trying to see what was going on, who was attacking them? They we're like ninjas—dark and quick as shadows.

"Emma!" He shouted frantically looking around for her. "Emma!"

"Jacob!"

He heard her, but he couldn't see her. "Emma!"

He heard her scream and then nothing at all.

Hands on his head dramatically, moving in circles, not knowing what to do. He saw a door to an abandoned looking dance studio open and close by itself.

Millard.

He followed. Going into the building.

"Millard." He called. There was no answer.

A Hollowgast smashed through the window slamming into the invisible figure.

It was invisible versus invisible.

Jacob jumped into action to do all he could to help. He lunged at the Hollow (a different one by the way, he could tell), the beast gnarled at him annoyingly and pushed him off, tossing him across the empty room. Jacob got back up on his feet. The Hollow had Millard pinned to the floor—two tongues holding down both of his arms, and a third tongue lassoed around his throat. The Hollow's wide jaw unhinged slowly leaning into its victim, preparing to bite his head off.

"MILLARD!" Jacob shouted. Fear clenching at his heart.

The invisible form under the Hollow's grip flickered and turned visible.

It wasn't Millard Nullings.

It was a girl. She looked the same age as Jacob with dark, straight hair, and pale skin. Her brown eyes faced Jacob's, she gave him a look of pleading.

 _LET HER GO!_ He shouted at the Hollow. The beast snarled at him not liking to be controlled, but it did the job. The Hollow let go of the mysterious girl and threw itself on Jacob again, slamming him into the wall, trying to chomp his face. Gunfire rang out. The Hollow went limp, and fell off of Jacob—dead.

He quickly scanned the room for the girl. She shot the Hollow! She had a gun! How did she shoot it? Could she see it? Or did she just get lucky?

She wasn't in the room anymore, not that Jacob could see at least.

"Hey, it's all right, I'm not going to hurt you. I need your help."

No sound at all. An empty room.

"Please."

A wooden plank from the broken window was levitated into the air, where it collided with the back of Jacob's head.

Everything went dark.

 **Review please! Reviews help!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry i have no excuse, but hey new chapter for you guys, if anyone is still reading. i spent a lot of time on this one so please review, thanks guys, i hope you enjoy!**

 **Oh! Warning: there is some graphic gore-ey-ness in the beginning, but after that, none.**

 **Disclaimer: the characters herein belong to Ransom Riggs, except for any new ones those belong to me.**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 4

Red hair tangled with twigs rushed between the canopy of trees. The wind behind her, pushing her along, the grass tickling her one bare foot. She wished she didn't lose her shoe. She glanced up at the tall cliff side, at the root growing off the rock that she used to cushion her fall. She had slide her fingers on that side of the cliff for one day and two nights—no sign of Wights, yet, but she knew they were on her trail. She was sitting in the underbrush eating apples and edible roots that she found when she heard the boots on grass clomping, weapons clanking at their sides, that's when she jumped up and started running.

She wondered if everyone was all right. She knew _they_ had Claire, she hoped that the little girl wasn't hurt, or a pile of Hollow poop. But as selfish as it sounded, she mainly thought of him. His long, gangly limbs, the bees that would crawl out of his mouth when he smiled, he never noticed or cared about the bees that popped out of his mouth. She thought of his freckles and messy, curly, brown hair that he hated, so he always kept his cap and googles on. She loved those, freckles, and curls. She loved those skinny limbs, and the bees in his teeth. She loved him. And now they're separated, miles apart, maybe forever. But she will always love him, and she will find him, will see him again. If he's still alive, and if she doesn't die.

She ran, her leg muscles burning. She hasn't run this fast since. . . since she left home. She heard the Wights behind her—right on her heels. She saw the tall trees next to her, giving her strength to go on. More Wights approached at her side, then some jumped out in front of her, blocking her in. The red head stopped, looking around at all the Wights closing her in. "Come with us." One of them said. She rather die than go with them, what they would do to her would be a lot worse than death. She heard the wind whistling in her ears, she could feel the power of the grass, weeds, trees, flowers coursing through her veins. She took a deep breath. . . and unleashed it.

The Wight standing closest to her on her right stumbled to the ground as the vines wrapped him up, squeezing so tight that the skin was rubbed off him leaving a skeleton in its place. The others stopped and hesitated, but only for a second, they're comrades were behind them, slowly advancing. The three that remained charged the girl at once.

She acted quick. Waving her arms around like she was performing a sacred dance, the apple tree next to her uprooted itself, crushing the Wight standing next to it with the sound of a scream and crunch. Roots popped out of the ground, tripping up the other two so they couldn't move. Once the girl got them to stand single file, a tree branch impaled them both from the back and sticking out of their eyes. By now the reinforcement made it to where the scuttle was taking place. The four more Wights had no time to stop and observe the scene. Tree branches smacked them around, launching them into the air. One fired his gun at her, he had snuck up from behind, the bullet whizzed past her ear. She turned around and flashed the man a look of hatred. Controlling the nature around her as simple as pulling the strings on a puppet, she held her hands out in front of her, her fingers arching like claws. The Wight looked scared, with a slow twist to the girl's wrists, a tree root rose from the ground between the man's feet, and shot upward, growing into a full tree, severing the Wight in half.

More Wights kept coming. Where were they coming from? But the girl still had strength, she wasn't even breaking a sweat. Touching the ground, making more roots rise, knocking the men off their feet before they could lift their guns. She spun around causing the tree branches to collide into their prey. Wights dropped like flies. She focused on her breathing, everything was going great, any time she saw an open window she bolted. While she was running, causing the plants to knock down anything around her that was moving, two Wights leaped at her from her blind spot. They latched onto to her wrists holding them tight. They quickly found out that while her arms and legs were bound, she couldn't bend the plants.

They held her still as she squirmed and whimpered to break free. A Wight in a fancier uniform than all the other ones casually strolled up to the girl. He looked around at the eleven dead Wights that scattered the ground, then back to her. "You're a powerful one." He said. The girl moved her fingers, and the tree limbs around them rose slowly making their way to this new Wight. "That's enough of that." He said and nodded to the two Wights that had their grips on the girl. Easy as cracking a stick over their knees, they snapped her arms, she fell to her knees screaming in pain, tears blocking her vision. The leader of this Wight clan knocked her on her back, him and the other Wight stepped on her hands, breaking them, so she couldn't bend the plant life at them. "Such a shame. Elementals are the most fascinating of the Peculiars in my opinion." The man said. "No matter, the Queen will enjoy having you as a slave." The Queen? Not the Queen of England surely. Since when do the Wights have a Queen?

The girl looked up at the clouds, arms burning in pain, tears running down her face. She felt a Wight pulling off her other shoe. He and his comrade stepped on the girl's feet, breaking them as well—breaking off the source of her peculiarity. She screamed in agony. Thinking of Hugh, she felt the power of the trees vanish from her system, and everything went black.

* * *

"Check their vitals for me?" A woman's voice said.

Jacob's eyes fluttered open weakly. His mouth hurt and tasted metallic as if he just came out of the dentist office. His mouth didn't hurt as much as his body did though. Everything ached, his legs, hand, head. Where was he? What happened? He stared at a white ceiling, a machine with a tube stuck in his arm beeped on his left. Am I in a hospital? There were people walking around, a few adults, male and female. Where was everyone else?

Jacob turned his head to the right, Enoch was in the cot beside him, passed out asleep. Jacob faced the left and saw Olive. She was also asleep, her arms and legs bound to the bed with leather. Where was Emma? He weakly lifted his head. There were more beds across from his on the other side of the room. Bronwyn, Hugh, Horace, and Millard all lined up—asleep. He turned his head back to the left and saw Claire in the bed next to Olive, then to the right and he saw _her_ , in the bed next to Enoch—passed out asleep.

Jacob tried to sit up. A woman's hand landed on his chest, pushing him back down. He freaked. He was too weak to talk so he just whimpered like a scared little kid.

The woman coaxed him. "Shh shhh it's all right. It's all right. You're safe." She looked almost young, maybe twenty-four years old. Her accent was American. She had long black hair, pale skin. But the only thing Jacob cared about her, was her eyes. Green. Like the trees. Not white. She wasn't a Wight, so then where were they? "It's okay, it's okay, you made it, you're in the Academy, everything will be all right. Hand me the tranquilizer. He's freaking out." She said. With a sharp pinch in his arm he's head collided back with the pillow. He felt drugged, feeling the sedatives course through his body, he tried to fight it. This woman was talking with an older looking guy and Jacob wanted to hear every word she was saying, but the narcotics were making him so sleepy, so weak, he could barely hear a thing. He managed to keep his eyes open enough to somewhat make out what was happening. The woman shoved a new needle into his arm, the needle was connected to this device of some kind. The needle in his arm felt like it was burning, after a minute there was a beep from the device and the dark-haired woman pulled the needle out.

"Hollowspeak. Wow, no wonder this group is so valuable to them. Two elementals, a Dead Riser, and a Hollowspeak." She said.

"Hey look." The man's voice said at the foot of the bed Jacob was lying in.

Jacob was losing his fight with the narcotics. He almost fell back to asleep when he felt the man's hand grab his bare ankle making him twitch.

"What are you doing?" the woman's voice said rudely.

The grip on Jacob's ankle tightened, the man pulled Jacob's foot out from under the blankets exposing the bottom side. "Now look her Ms. Cardinal, if you ever need to stop a Peculiar just add pressure to the foot and. . ." he ran something feeling long and syndical under Jacob's foot roughly. Jacob gasped as his entire body twitch and shuddered as if some kind of power just thrashed around uncomfortably inside him. "If I made an incision, then his peculiarity would be turned off. Only temporarily."

"That's the start of the process of stealing one's peculiarity." The woman said, sounding bored.

"Exactly!" The man said excitedly.

"Oro, why would I, an Ymbryne, need you to show me how to steal peculiarities?"

"Everyone needs to know how to steal peculiarities. Or at least, turned them off."

Jacob's eyes fluttered shut and he fell back into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he was back at his house. He was flipping through channels on the TV with the children all huddled up on the couch beside him, Miss Peregrine joining them, sitting in the armchair.

"Jake, can we see you for a second?" His dad called. Jacob got up and walked into the kitchen where his mom and dad stood. He couldn't help noticing the look of concern Miss Peregrine flashed him on his way out of the living room.

"What's up?" He asked his parents.

His mother made a hesitant look and pulled Jacob further into the kitchen near the back door to make sure the children or the headmistress wouldn't hear her words. "We want them to leave." She said. "Your father and I have been thinking."

"No." Jacob said, he's face stone.

His mother took a deep breath, wearing the calm-before-the-storm-expression as Jacob liked to call it.

"They can't stay here forever Jakey." His dad said.

"They're not staying her forever. And don't call me Jakey, I'm not five."

"They can't stay here okay." His dad's voice raised a little bit. "It's been fun, glad to meet the people our son was hanging around while we traveled around looking for him" he was yelling at this point.

"Frank." Mrs. Portman said, hand on her husband's shoulder to keep him calm. That bird woman scared her, she didn't want her hearing the conversation.

Franklin took a deep breath and continued; "Look, just get them out, please. So we can go back to our normal lives."

"You realize if they go, I do, right?" Jacob said pissed off.

"You will not." His dad demanded.

"They're not leaving, they probably don't have anywhere to go."

"Not our problem." Frank said.

Jacob gritted his teeth, trying to not start a parade of curse words at his parents.

"We'll be gone in the morning, if that's what you'd prefer." Miss Peregrine said standing in the doorway.

They all looked at her shocked. "Ms. Peregrine, no—" Jacob started.

"Thank you." Maryann said.

"I'll tell the children to prepare their things." Miss Peregrine said.

"No! No, you don't have to leave, please don't."

"Jacob." Frank started.

"It's all right Mr. Portman, I understand how it's quite clear that we've out stayed our welcome. I thank you for your hospitality." She said nodding politely to Mr. and Mrs. Portman. "It's time for us to go." She said to Jacob.

"I don't want you to leave." He said.

"We'll find a new place and you can write to us, maybe even visit." She said.

"Yeah, see Jake, maybe you can visit them, maybe keep in touch. It's not forever." Frank said.

Maybe visit them, maybe write to them, maybe keep in touch with them, maybe, maybe, maybe, just like Abe.

Satisfied that this conversation ended in their favor, Jacob's parents left the room. Jacob turned to Miss Peregrine, mouth open but unaware of what to say yet, how to form the words. "Let's chat outside." She said, opening the back door.

They stood out in the yard.

"I'm going with you. I don't care what they say." Jacob said.

Miss Peregrine sighed, "Jacob they're your parents."

"I don't want you to leave." He repeated.

"You'll still be able to communicate with us, see us, it won't be goodbye forever."

"I'm going with you." Jacob repeated, his mind officially made up. "You can't just leave without me, I'm a part of the family. I'm one of Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children."

"They are your parents." She repeated calmly. "You're still a young man you have to do what they say."

"I'm almost seventeen." Jacob demanded.

"Exactly. So stay here, finish school, or whatever it is they want for you to succeed in. Then, when your eighteen or older, come find us. But right now, I'm sorry to say this but listen to your parents."

"I'm not waiting that long."

"Listen to your parents Jake."

"I'm not staying here. I don't want this normal life I want a peculiar one." He shouted.

She looked him straight in the eyes. Dark green meeting light blue. "You can survive one more year of this normal life without Miss Bloom, don't you think?"

That statement threw Jacob off guard. Does she really still think, that Emma is all he cares about?

"It's not like that anymore." He said calmly.

"How do you mean?"

"I don't just want to go with you just because of Emma. Yes, I love her, but I love you too, all of you. I fell in love with all of you, it's just about Emma anymore."

Miss Peregrine looked down at him sincere, her heart warming, tears forming in her eyes. "Well, I'm glad to hear that Jacob."

"Please let me go with you."

"That's not up to me."

"Stay a little longer, get them to change their minds, they'll come around I know it."

She shook her head. "I don't want you to abandon your home."

"You've dealt with plenty of children having to abandon their homes for _your_ safety. Why now, are you hesitant or forbidding me to come with you?"

"Because I know you. I've seen what you can do with the Hollows. You are not in any danger. The children I pick up were always in danger. I protected them—"she stopped talking abruptly. Her head jerked back behind her, looking at the sky, eyes filled with terror.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jacob said.

She turned back around to look at him. "I'll be right back, need to check on something." With that she turned into a bird and flew away into the clouds.

Jacob stood there looking confused, then slowly went back inside the house, not noticing Millard's invisible form sitting on the porch.

Jacob woke up again feeling refreshed. Once the grogginess left he looked at the white ceiling confused. Wait where are we? He thought back to what that strange woman said, "you made it, you're in the Academy". Relief flushed through him. The room was quite except for some deep breathing and snores from his fellow friends. He sat up slowly looking around. This definitely looked like a hospital, white walls, white floors, everything looked clean and polished and plain. There was stirring next to him, he looked over and saw Olive open her eyes. She tugged on her arms and feet that were bound to the bed and freaked out.

"Shh, no it's okay, it's okay." Jacob soothed her as the little girl thrashed around whimpering.

"Where are we?" she asked him.

"The Academy."

Her eyes grew wide.

In the next about thirty minutes everyone started waking up.

"What happened?" Emma said to Jacob.

"No idea." He replied.

"We got kidnapped. Obviously." Enoch said. Emma lifted her hand like she was about to slap him, but Olive came over and hugged her.

"I'm scared." She cried.

"It'll be all right, little magpie." Bronwyn said.

Jacob told everyone about how he woke up too early and heard the conversation between the strange woman and man. "She said she was an Ymbryne." He said while the children were all huddled up on one of the beds. "She had this device thing that I think displayed what our peculiarities are." The children all looked confused.

"How could that be?" Millard asked.

"I dunno, she stuck a needle in my arm, and it was connected to the device. It read from our blood I guess."

"Extraordinary." Millard said amazed.

"Did you hear her say anything else?" Hugh asked.

"After she shoved the needle in my arm she called me a Hollowspeak."

"Heard of it." Millard stated. "That's the name of your peculiar ability."

"Well why do I just now hear it? I've could have been called by some cool name instead of the 'boy who sees monsters'."

Enoch chuckled.

"Okay this isn't the important issue right now." Emma said. "If we made it to the Academy, then why are we trapped in this room, what's going on?"

Jacob looked around and noticed a little black colored orb hanging off of the ceiling. "There's a camera." He told the others pointing to it. "They're watching us."

"Who's they?" Claire asked. It was a good question. They knew it wasn't the Wights, but still, something fishy is going on here.

An hour went by, there was silence. No one came by. Enoch banged, kicked and shouted questions and insults at the door. Still nothing.

"Enoch. Stop, being dumb and get a hold of yourself." Bronwyn said chiding him.

The second he stepped away from the door it opened revealing a woman in a nurse's uniform smiling down at us.

"Hello and welcome to the Peculiar Academy founded by Ms. Bunting and Ms. Avocet." Her thin British accent said. "Sorry, to keep you waiting, we had to check the health conditions of your bodies, something all the new recruits have to go through."

"I knew you touched my teeth, I could tell!" Enoch demanded.

"Yes, we filled cavities and solved other minor health problems, such as healing scars—"

"Enough!" Emma shouted. "Take us to your Ymbryne now!"

"I will take you to Lady Nightingale in a short while, but first, here are a change of clothes." She said laying piles of clothing on one of the beds. "And I also recommend that you wash up; the bathrooms are through those doors there." She said all of this plainly, as if she was reading off an instructions manual.

"One of the guards will come by in an hour to escort you to Ms. Nightingale." She walked out of the door, shutting it, where it clicked into place, locking us in.

"What the hell?!" Jacob said.

They stumbled around confused for a while, then the girls headed into their bathroom to wash up and change, and the boys did the same. Jacob did feel great when the hot water of the shower hit his head.

The clothing was plain looking, tanned pants and a long sleeved grey shirt. Horace saw the clothes and starting hyperventilating. "I'm not wearing that. I'd rather be stuck in this room for all eternity!"

"Walk around naked like Millard then." Enoch teased.

Horace reluctantly put the clothes on, blushing. And yes, Millard was going to walk around naked, in case you were curious.

After precisely one hour, a muscled man opened the door. "Hello, my name is Hans, Ms. Nightingale as requested an audience with you, I'll be your escort." He had yellow hair, and a red tinge on his face, from where he probably just spent the day drinking.

While walking down hallways that also looked plain and empty we took no time at all in slamming the man with questions.

"What location is this loop in?" Millard asked.

"We're in a secret location between Maine and New York in America. May 22, 2017." Hans said.

"So it is modern day." Jacob said.

"The Academy always follows the modern day time period."

"What time is it? Like of the day." Jacob asked him.

He looked down at his watch sighing heavily, "uhhhh noon."

"You enjoy your job don't you." Enoch stated sarcastically.

"Where are our belongings?" Horace asked him.

"Who attacked us in that city?" Emma asked.

Hans let lose a sigh, like he was already bored and tired of us. "Your belongings have been taken to your rooms that Ms. Nightingale has assigned to you."

"Who attacked us?" Emma repeated, louder this time.

"Where's Miss Peregrine?" Olive said.

"Ms. Nightingale will explain everything." Was all Hans said.

Emma flashed Jacob a look saying; I'm going to roast his drunk face.

"Here we are." He shoved them all into another empty room, except this one was dark, with hard wood floors and dark grey wallpapers. "They'll be with you shortly." And he slammed the door locking them in.

"I already hate it here." Hugh said.

"Same." Said Millard.

"I wanna go home." Claire complained.

"Miss Peregrine is in trouble." Olive said, on the verge of tears.

They all looked toward her.

"I'm sure she's all right little one." Bronwyn said soothingly.

"No! I saw her, I saw her get shot, she's hurt or maybe dead!" She started crying.

Emma came over and gave her a hug. "Shh, be brave." She said.

Olive continued to sob when the door opened again and three people came in. Two girls, and Jacob could swear he has seen one of them before, and a guy with blue skin. They all looked like they were in their twenties. The girl that looked familiar and the blue skinned guy stood on either side of the door, blocking it. The other girl took a seat at a long table. "Please sit." She said gesturing to the seats around opposite her at the table.

"What's going on?" Emma demanded. None of them sat down at the table. The girl had her hands folded in front of the her, she had shoulder length honey blonde hair, and dark blue eyes.

"What would you like to know?" She asked regally.

"Where is our Ymbryne?" said Emma.

"In our infirmary. She's very injured." The girl said.

Olive gasped, "I told you, she was hurt."

"Can we see her?" Emma asked.

"No."

"No? She's our Ymbyrne."

"No one can see her, except our doctors, she's in critical care." She said, cutting Emma off.

"We need to see her!" Emma demanded.

"You can't." the girl sated simply. "Any more questions, comments, concerns."

"Who are you?!" Enoch asked bluntly.

"Never mind that, where's your Ymbryne?" Emma asked rudely.

The girl with dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail guarding the door took a step toward Emma, her hand raised as if to slap her.

"There's no need for that Addy, they're just confused, they've been through a lot." The girl said holding up her hand.

She looked right at Emma "I am the Ymbryne."

Some of their mouths dropped. She's the Ymbryne? She's looks so young.

"I'm Katherine Nightingale, but please call me Kat, I'm only an Ymbryne in training. But the chief Ymbryne insists on formalities."

Horace snickered, causing the girl, Kat to glare at him.

"I'm sorry." He quickly wiped the smile off his face. "It's just. . . a bird named Kat."

"Yeah, ha ha funny, isn't it? You done? You're not the first one to come up with that joke and clearly not the last. Any more questions? Or—"

"How old are you?" Horace asked her.

"Twenty. How old are you?"

"Eighty—"

"Fourteen." Horace looked at her, shocked. "Your real ages don't matter in the Academy, so forget them." She went on to say.

"What?" Hugh stated.

"We've found a way of aging even within the Loop, so forget your real age, it won't matter anymore."

Emma balled up her fist, steam coming between her fingers.

"Who attacked us on our way here?" Jacob asked.

"We did." Kat said, like it was no big deal at all.

"Who's we?" Emma asked.

"Our soldiers, a.k.a half of everyone here. They're were Wights coming in, we had to get you within our walls quickly, sorry for the scare."

"But I don't understand why you couldn't just—"

"The Loops are dead." Kat said interrupting Emma. "We have new children coming to the Academy everyday. The Academy was built as a safe haven, a place for peculiars that could protect them when the Loops and Ymbrynes couldn't. The Loops were all raided and it will take a while to rebuild them, so our walls here at the Academy have been overflowing with Peculiar children. We've been renovating and expanding to make room. As a way to teach the children to defend themselves because a lot of Ymbrynes have sadly been wiped out over the last few years, we brought back the rank system."

"The rank system?" said Hugh.

"In the morning you will be looked over by other Ymbrynes and members of the council. They're going to look over your peculiarity's strengths and weaknesses and determine which rank you belong in."

They all wore confused faces.

"The ranks run one through ten. One through four are for the children born inside the academy, it's their basic education, learning how to read and such, it's for toddlers. The lowest rank you can be placed in is fifth. You will all have schooling in our classrooms that you will partake in from seven in the morning, after breakfast, till noon. Then lunch break, then training in your rank till seven in the evening for dinner. After that you're free to do as you please. Except leave. No one leaves the Academy's walls, do so and you will be severely punished." Kat finished, looking at all of them, daring they throw more questions her way.

"This sounds like a military school." Jacob said.

"It pretty much is." She said.

There was beep coming from the phone in the blue guy's hand. "Kat, the chief Ymbryne would like to see you." He said.

"Oh my birds!" She complained, her shoulders drooping. "Thank you Raji." She looked back to the others, "Raji and Addy will escort you to your rooms, all your stuff is there, and we've even provided you with a few extra things. You're not leaving these walls for a long time. Now get out, the chief Ymbryne is going to be coming in, she's kind of strict. It was nice meeting you and I'm sure we will talk again." She gestured all of us out the room.

Just as she was about to close the door, the girl named Addy spoke up. "The invisible is still in there, ma'am."

"What invisible?" Emma tried, and failed.

The girl grabbed a pair of pants from a storage closet at the end of the hall, she came back, walked right up to Millard and slammed the pants into his chest. "Cover up please, it's. . . disturbing." She said. Millard blushed, his whole face turning red. She had an American accent, dark eyes to match her hair, and was possibly the most beautiful girl Millard as ever seen.

"Wait." He called after her. "How can you see me?"

She turned around, looking right into his eyes. "It's my peculiarity." She held up her hand and it vanish from her fingertips to her wrist.

"I know you!" Jacob shouted at her. "You're the one who smacked me over the head with a wooden plank."

"And dragged your ass here so the Wights wouldn't get you. Your welcome. Now let's go."

Her and the guy Raji lead the children down the hallway, into an elevator, and down more hallways.

"How do you know her?" Emma whispered to Jacob. She wasn't jealous. . . not in the slightest.

"I followed her into this building and saved her from getting killed by a Hollow." Jacob answered.

"You left us to save a girl you didn't know." Enoch hissed.

"I thought she was Millard." Jacob said.

Millard smiled warmly at Jacob, but of course he didn't see it. He looked ahead and noticed the girl, Addy, quickly turn her head back around from where she'd been staring at Millard. Her cheeks blushed. Millard smiled at the back of her head, his heart pounding. _Maybe_ , he thought.

 **This was a long one, how are you guys doing, comment and let me know lol and see you next time! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Hey People look who's back! So yeah it's been ages. I was reading the reviews to this story last night, just randomly, cause i'm weird like that. But it warmed my heart so much and i laid there in bed telling myself, "Ally! Get yo shit together and write!' And that's exactly what i did! So here i am with chapter 5, its not the best and could probably be improved but i just really really wanted to update something.**

 **To anyone still reading this, i'm sorry for being super late, senior in college, yes that's what i'm using as an excuse. i hope someone is still reading this, because the hype died a long time ago, so i don't know how many people are still in the mood. But anyway if you're reading this chapter shoot me a review or a PM, this one is very confusing because i had to create history and explain some things and it probably makes no sense, so feel free to hit that review button, or PM if you don't like feeling public, and ask questions, tell me what you like, what you don't.**

 **One more thing then i'll be quiet. i have an important question to ask of however reads this. The answer will not be settled yet, i want you to know that, so everyone has plenty of time to think about it, or change their answer, but i want everyone to answer this because it's SUPER important. This question will cover something important that will occur later on in this story, and i'll also asks this question again so people won't forget. (cause the outcome will be in part two or three).**

 **okay, you ready for this life or death matter, here goes: Enoch x Olive or Enoch x Horace? i know, its a tough question, no pressure, you still have a long time to make a decision. But i want you all to begin voting now because the winner just may end up being a permanent connection in this story. and don't worry about age differences i have a solution for that.**

 **now holy Hera i rambled, disclaimer: i don't own most of these characters. Enjoy this chapter, please review or PM me your votes and questions!**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 5

At least they got to share the same hall. The Peculiar children followed Addy and Raji down several empty hallways finally leading them down one of their very own. The Academy looked nice, like Hogwarts vibes everywhere. The halls were a light gray colored stone with dark brown wooden flooring. The children haven't gotten the chance to go sight seeing yet, but some of them were ready to get out there, stretch their legs in this new terrain. They followed the two strangers up fancy wooden stairs that stretched for two flights. It was actually really nice, behind the door at the top of the stairs was a small lounge area. Couches around a coffee table. No TV? Bummer. Connected to the back of the lounge was a hallway, the first room on the left held toilets, across from that held showers. Then the bedrooms scattered the rest of the hall. Their rooms were already picked out for them, Bronwyn and Claire were assigned to one room. Emma and Olive in the other.

"I call this one." Olive squealed excitedly, her clonking, lead shoe got caught under the bed frame tripping her over onto it. (Forgot to mention she got her shoes back).

Enoch and Horace got the room across the hall. "We're sharing a room?" Horace blushed.

"I call window." Enoch said sitting down on the mattress.

Hugh and Millard were placed in the room at the far end. Across from a vacant one with only one bed.

"And here you are." Addy said opening the room for Jacob. "It's not big enough for two people, so no roommates for you, lucky."

The room was big enough for literally three people, Jacob thought. Each room looked the same, plain wood everywhere, it felt like the inside of a cabin rather than a dorm room. First of all because even the rooms with two beds in them were still spacious. Each room came with it's very own, closet, dresser, desk, bookshelf, and giant windows overlooking a vast forest.

"Uh, get settled in, dinners at six 'o'clock. Someone will come escort you. Bathrooms down the hall. Umm, enjoy." Addy said.

"Thank you." Millard said to her.

She smiled before exited down the stairs with Raji, leaving the Peregrine's alone.

"Why are we here again?" Claire said.

Jacob pulled out his phone, surprised at how good it worked, even in his hometown the service and speed was never so good, and with fast free Wi-Fi. "Damn." He said.

"What?" Emma asked next to him.

"My phone loves here already."

"Do you?"

"I'll need to be more acquainted first." He told her.

It was five 'o' clock, they had an hour to get settled.

They all occupied themselves in their new rooms. New clothes filled the closets, how the Academy workers knew their sizes, they had no clue. Jacob threw himself onto the bed, happy for its existence.

Horace opened the closet and dresser, making a face of absolute despair.

The standard uniform for class time was black pants, skirts for the girls, and a white button up shirt with a black jacket with forest green trim. Gym shorts and a T-shirt symbolling what must be the Academy's crest that look like a raven with a crown on its head. Same crest embroidered on the jackets. And basic tan pants, or jeans with those gray or green shirts. That was it. Not even a tie. Only three pairs of shoes as well, black, laced up loafers for the uniform, white tennis shoes, and brown boots.

"Oh, don't be a pansy." Enoch said over his shoulder.

"What am I supposed to do?" He demanded.

"Shake off that old habit."

"It's not a habit, it's a lifestyle."

"Maybe they have stores here." Jacob reassured him.

"Probably not anything worthy."

Millard observed the book shelf, excited to find out if this place had a library, it was a school so it was bound too. After a few minutes, he couldn't help noticing Hugh staring out the window, a sad and pained look on his face. Millard sighed for him, it's all those canopies of trees out there, making the poor guy think of you know who. Then he stared at Jacob across the hall, laying down on the bed, phone held above his head. He thought about what Jacob said earlier, how he save that girl, Addy's life because he thought it was Millard. He smiled at Jacob with adoration.

After thirty minutes of sitting in the lounge, looking out windows, and inspecting clothing. That invisible girl, Addy knocked on the door.

"Me again." She smiled. "Which one is Jacob?"

Jacob walked up to her.

"Come with me."

He hesitatingly left with her, shrugging 'I don't known's' to Emma's questioning expressions.

"She said she wanted to speak with you alone." Addy said pointing to a girl standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Kat smiled shaking Jacob's hand. "Hello again."

"Hi."

Addy nodded to Kat, turned around and headed back up the stairs. Jacob watched her, confused. Was she going to hang out with everyone else?

"I know a lot happened today, but I wanted to share a walk with you. Tour?"

"I have thirty minutes."

"It's alright if we're late for dinner."

Jacob swallowed nervously. But he didn't know why he was nervous. Maybe it was because he could feel Emma's daggers on him already for hanging out with another girl. And for the record, Kat was pretty but no where near his flame beauty.

They walked through hallways and went down stairs. "Did you see the map on your desk? You might need it."

"Yeah I did. This place is huge."

"It gets bigger."

They came to an outdoor balcony that overlooked a field. Below were hundreds of kids, all ages, playing games, chilling in the shade, or displaying their peculiarities.

"Wow." Jacob said, taking it all in.

"Cool isn't it?"

"I remember asking my Ymbryne when I first met her, about how everything works. I asked why can't the Peculiars go to their own country or something, why would they have to live in individual loops? She said that they basically just had to, that having all the Peculiars in one area wouldn't work. So, how? How is place even here and running?" He asked her.

"It's taken several years to get this place running. Ms. Avocet and Ms. Bunting founded this place a long time ago, though it was smaller back then. They wanted to hold several children, combining their Ymbryne abilities. This was back before the Wights and Hollows were. . .frequent. I wasn't here yet when this place first got attacked. Apparently, a lot of the children were taken, killed. But there was more than two Ymbrynes here, they were hiding. Ms. Bunting died. Ms. Avocet wasn't here. It was bad. But somehow, they got the Wights out, and Ms. Raven stepped up and took the position of leading this place. She kept us hidden, she saved the Academy, running it in secret."

"How could you keep all this hidden? It's impressive."

"The Wights still try to get in here every day, but they've haven't succeeded again. That city, that you guys came through, where we captured you. We had to do that by the way, no one from the outside can know the entrance to this place, through that city at least."

Jacob looked at her confused.

"This is one giant loop." She said looking at him. "It holds the exit back to that city, and the real entrance leads to another city. It's named Rose, after Ms. Bunting's first name. There are people in this loop that stay here permanently and since we found a way to age while in the loop, they're adults, they live in Rose. The land of Rose is so massive, that no loop can cover it, no matter how many Ymbrynes we have. So, they built two thirty-meter high walls that surround the place. An outer and inner wall. Because the Wights can attack from that side but its still very hard for them to get there, and very unlikely. We keep safety first here." She said that last sentence laughing.

Jacob rubbed his forehead that was now aching.

"I know, sorry, it's a lot to take in. I was confused at first myself. But it's get easier. You'll learn to love it here. Then again you might as well, because you can never leave."

"This place is. . .amazing, but also insane."

"Oh defeintely. You'll learn about all this in your classes of course. The professors will make it sound easier than I will."

There was a long pause where Jacob stared at the sky, trying to wrap his head around all this. "When you said, you found a way to age while in the loops, what exactly is this aging process?"

"We call it the aging potion. It has Ymbryne DNA and other stuff but I'm not sure what it is, and frankly I don't want to know. We just take one injection of it, and it'll boost your age up. Take it once a year and you'll age like normal."

"Woah."

"Yeah, I don't know who ever came up with it, but it's great."

"So, I don't have to take it unless I want to age up?"

"Oh, you've already taken it." Kat said.

"What?"

"When you and your family first got here, and you were passed out. It's the first thing that's done to Peculiar children when they come to the Academy, before the health inspections. It not only allows you to age up, but the very first time the serum touches the blood stream it alters the aging process, so basically it restores whatever age the Peculiar's body looks."

"That's awesome! But we've already gone through this fountain of youth thing, or they have, not me, I never stayed in a loop for me than a year. Does that mean, the aging potion did its magic on me, am I actually like seventeen right now?" Jacob asked her.

"I honestly don't know." She said trying to think about it. "But if you really want to know, you can always go by the lab, they'll test your blood and tell you."

Jacob leaned on the balcony. "Oh my God I'm exhausted."

She chuckled at him. "Dinner started ten minutes ago, so I guess we'll head down there."

He didn't realize how hungry he was, until he heard the word 'dinner'.

"One more thing, you're a Hollowspeak right?" Kat asked him as they were making their way to the dinning hall.

"Yeah. Apparently."

"Keep a secret? You're already a friend I think I can trust you."

He was a little thrown off by that, they did just meet today. "Uh sure. I'll keep your secrets."

She leaned in closer to him. "I wasn't born an Ymbryne, I was turned into one. I used to be a Hollowspeak, like you."

"Wait what? How is that. . .?"

"A lot of Ymbrynes have died, they're desperate for new ones. So, some were. . .created. It's a long and difficult process, but it is possible. Anyway, I'm the same kind Peculiar that you are, or used to be, so I would like to personally train you. Being a Hollowspeak is rare and I'd like to help you."

"That's really nice of you, thanks. I would like that. I sometimes hate feeling like I'm the only one. I feel like there's so much stuff about myself that I don't know. I was wondering, if there was another Peculiar out there that's like me."

"Well there is, and I would be honored to teach you what I can."

Jacob smiled at her, grateful that he already made a new friend. As they walked to dinner, Jacob looked around him, thinking that this place won't be so bad in live in after all, maybe even forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Guess who's back! Omg, how long has been? Like a year probably. My bad. So I feel like I didn't get a lot done in this chapter but I hope you all will enjoy it anyway. thanks to everyone who always reads these and leaves me feedback it means a lot to me. I hope their still people reading this and are excited to read it haha. being an author is my dream job, so this means a lot to me, so please read, review, enjoy, thanks for putting up with my tardiness lol.**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 6

Emma sat at the table against the back wall, everyone else surrounding her. She kept her eyes locked on the main door, waiting for Jacob to come in. She wondered what the hell was taking him so long. She likes to believe that she's not a jealous person, but thinking about Jacob being alone with another girl for this long is making steam evaporate from her clenched fist under the table. Jacob wasn't the only thing she was stressing over. She didn't trust this place, Addy told them, that kidnapping them was a must, for their own safety. It sounded like bull shit to Emma. She couldn't help but wonder where Miss Peregrine was, why they couldn't see her? Was she even here? Maybe these people lied to them.

The rest of the children were eyeing all the other kids bustling around, holding trays of food, chattering happily with their friends. Millard kept his eyes on Addy. Checking her out, you could say. He liked how her hair hung down, spilling over her shoulders in chocolate waves, how her eyes lit up when she smiled. She was sitting with two other people he didn't recognize, a boy and girl with yellow hair. Judging how close they were sitting across from Addy, Millard could only assume that they were dating. Addy was by herself, looking almost bored. She caught Millard's gaze. He averted his eyes quickly, ashamed to be caught. She only chuckled at him and waved. And with astonishment, she was even inviting him to come sit with her. back in their living courters, Addy had told all of them to not be shy to make new friends. And considering that they'll be here awhile…

Millard stood up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked him.

"To sit with Addy."

"Why?"

"Uh-oh. His first girlfriend." Hugh said grinning, taking a drink of his water.

"Honestly, yeah, that's what I'm hoping for."

"You meet one person who can see you, and fall head over heels?" said Enoch.

"Ask her if she can draw, so we can find out what you look like," Olive said with an exciting smile, making everyone else chuckle.

"I'm taking her advice. It'd be good for us to make friends." Millard said, turning around, tray in hand, and planted himself next to Addy on the benches of the table, she squealed a 'hello' in excitement, making room for him.

The others watched in amazement, has their boy moved up in the world.

"People keep waving and smiling at us," Bronwyn noted.

"Don't trust them," Emma said.

"I don't have to trust them to just go say hello."

"Yeah, Millard's right. We'll be here awhile so no harm in making some allies." Hugh said grabbing his tray and standing up.

Bronwyn joined him. "They might even know something helpful, you never know."

They both walked off. Emma huffed in frustration, having the group split off and go their separate ways, this is exactly what this place wants.

"Well, I'm going to move closer to that dessert table over there," Enoch said, standing up himself. They all looked at him surprised. _He_ of all people wanted to make _new friends_?

Emma was about ready to flip the table at this point, being left with Olive, Claire, and Horace. She perked up when she saw Jacob walk in, but her shoulders slumped when she saw that he was trailing behind Kat.

Don't you dare sit with her.

She watched as they both piled food onto their trays, mouths moving in conversation.

Don't you dare sit with her.

They stopped at the fountain drink machine, filling their glasses.

Don't you dare sit with her.

They walked over to a table in the middle of the room.

Don't you fucking dare.

Jacob nodded goodbye to her as she sat down, making his way over.

Emma sighed in relief.

"Then just use your front mouth." Olive was saying next to her.

He took his seat next to her.

"This place is insanely huge! They do have a shopping center." Jacob said to Horace.

"Really?"

"And hot tubs! There is so much modern shit here, it's amazing."

"It's weird." Claire was saying, hesitantly sticking food into her front mouth.

"Either get used to it or go back to using your back one," Olive told her.

"There's a guy over there who don't even have a mouth, and was sticking food directly into his gut, so don't feel weird," Emma said next to her.

"Eww," Olive said laughing.

While Jacob was taking bites out of his baked potato, Emma noticed Kat staring at him. Emma purposely rested her head on his shoulder.

"You ok?" he said, putting his arm around her.

She smiled. "Yeah just tired."

"Tell me about it."

She saw Kat smirk and look away. What was that about?

"What was she talking to you about?"

"The Academy, she gave me a short tour."

"You were gone for forty minutes."

"Yeah, this place is gigantic, it would've taken three hours to look at all of it."

That was not the answer Emma wanted.

"We're going to look around some more after dinner if you want to come."

"I don't have anything else to do."

"How many shopping centers?" Horace asked Jacob.

"I dunno, like a few. There's more in the city though, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to go there."

"Uh, bollocks."

"So, is everyone else making friends? That's good since we'll be split up into the rank's system soon."

"I don't want to be split up," Olive complained.

"Our rooms are in the same place, guys. We'll just be separated during the day. It's like school."

"This starts in the morning," Emma whispered to Jacob.

"Yeah."

"I never wanted to go to school." Olive was saying.

"I get to learn what I am here," Jacob said so only Emma could hear.

"How do you mean?"

"Kat told me that she's a Hollowspeak as well." Emma took a sip from her water. "She's going to teach me things." She choked on her water, sputtering. Jacob patted her on the back.

"Well, that's great." She said once she was done coughing.

Jacob looked at her funny. _Don't tell me she's jealous_. "Hey let's go take a walk."

She looked up to him. "Now?"

"Yes." He stood up offering her his hand. She took it.

"But I thought we were getting a tour guide?"

"Ah, we can find our way around."

* * *

Two hours later. They did not find their way around.

They got lost so many times it was like being in the cave again. Except for this time, they enjoyed every minute of it.

They walked down hallways hand in hand. Ran across the playground. The found the section of the building that was locked, finding out that it was the location of the classrooms. They walked down one hall, passing the library.

"Woah."

"Holy Birds." They both gawk, seeing the wall to wall floor to ceiling shelves covered with more books than you could possibly imagine.

"Millard would be having the biggest boner right now."

Emma busted out laughing.

They followed a door outside and found themselves in a garden filled with hedges, flowers, a pond. They clasped hands twirling around in the moonlight.

"I feel like I'm at the Queen's castle." Emma laughed.

"I feel like I'm at Hogwarts."

They stopped spinning.

"That's from… um…" Emma snapped her fingers thinking. " _Percy Jackson_?"

" _Harry Potter_. But close. Well, actually they're very different, but the same genre."

"How are we going to find our way back?" Emma said as they both collapsed in the grass.

"No idea. But I don't really care. I don't want to leave."

"This is nice."

 _They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy._

They laid there staring at the stars, Jacob felt the urge to sing the song that was stuck in his head. Making Emma laugh.

 _They can say, they can say we've lost my mind._

 _I don't care, I don't care, if they call us crazy._

 _Runaway to a world that we design._

Emma joined him on the next part.

 _Every night I lie in bed_

 _The brightest colors fill my head_

 _A million dreams are keeping me awake._

Emma stopped singing, nuzzling into Jacob's chest.

 _I think of what the world could be_

 _A vision of the one I see._

"I love you."

"I love you too." Jacob grinned. "That was a good movie."

"Very spectacular."

She rolled on top of him. The space between their lips vanished. They laid there, in each other's arms kissing.

They would've stayed there all night if it wasn't for the flashlight.

"Hey! You two! Do you have any idea what time it is?" a man was shouting at them.

They scrambled to their feet.

"It's past curfew! You shouldn't be out here!" he kept on yelling.

"Okay, okay."

"We're sorry."

"We're new here, we didn't know about the curfew," Jacob told him.

"Yeah right, you think I haven't heard that excuse before? You kids always come out here to…copulate."

"Copulate?"

"Make love, hanky-panky, doing the nasty."

"Okay got it," Emma said.

"Do you see this?" Jacob said tugging on his shirt. "Do you see that our clothes are still on?"

"INSIDE NOW!" he shouted pulling their arms.

"Okay geez."

"Fuck." Emma cursed.

"That's it! You two just earned a trip to the headmistress' office."

"Seriously?"

He pulled them to the top, nicest section of the building. The headmistress didn't have an office, she had a whole suite. He shoved us through the door. That guard, Hans was standing there. Guarding Miss Raven's room probably.

"What's going on?" He asked. He wasn't as drunk this time.

"I found these two delinquents in the garden."

"We were just kissing," Jacob said.

"Thanks, Roger, I'll let her know," Hans said going into what they assumed was her living room.

The man, Roger, nodded letting go of us. "Wait over there." He ushered to a couch before leaving. This place looked like a rich person's sitting room. The entire room had a white glow to it, white couches, a doily on the coffee table, clean and polished, smelling like lavender.

"Okay, these people are insanely strict," Jacob said.

"No, I'm glad this happened." Jacob looked at her confused. "It's _her_. The chief Ymbryne."

Jacob got it now, "She'll know where Miss Peregrine is."

"She'll see you now." Hans came out to tell them. "Try to keep your moves shut if you know what's good for you."

They walked into her living room, she was seated at an elegant glass desk. The chief Ymbryne looked like a Queen. She had on an office attire white pants suit. She had platonic blonde hair, pulled into a neat bun. She forced a smile when she saw them.

"Mr. Portman, Ms. Bloom, a pleasure to finally meet you. Please take a seat."

They placed their butts on another white satin couch.

"How do you know our names?" Emma started.

"You are both new members, we came through our walls a week ago, your health inspections just ended and you woke up this morning. I have your files."

"Our files?"

"Yes. I read your files, I know what your names are, what your peculiarities are, where you come from."

"That's invasion of privacy."

"Is it? I'm supposed to invade people's privacies; how else will I know if they're safe enough to let into my academy or not."

"Well since you know everything…"

"Stop," Jacob muttered under his breath. He flashed her a look; let me do the talking from now on.

"Thank you, Ms. Raven. Your academy is beautiful, I'm glad there is a place that peculiar children can go to feel safe. We're sorry for staying up past curfew, we lost track of time, as well as losing our bearings."

"There is a map and rules booklet on your desk in your assigned rooms. I suggest you familiarize yourselves with them before heading out."

"Yes, Ma'am. We're sorry, it won't happen again."

"Well then if we're done here…"

"Actually Ma'am, may we ask you a question?"

She sighed as if she was annoyed. "You may."

"We would like to know where our Ymbryne, Miss Peregrine is. Last time we saw her… well, one of our loop family members saw her in bird form, on a rooftop in the city. Kat—"

"Ms. Nightingale." She cut him off.

"Ms. Nightingale…said that she was in the infirmary."

"Correct."

"In critical care?"

"She's been very injured."

"How?" Emma spoke up. "Who hurt her?"

"I'm assuming the Hollows since they were in the city that day."

"Since when have the Hollows been able to use guns?" Jacob said. His regal tone of speaking was wearing off, realizing how they weren't getting anywhere.

"Excuse me?"

"She was shot, in her bird form. The bullet hit her wing."

"You saw this?"

"Well no, I wasn't—"

"Then how do you know?"

"Our friend, Olive Elephanta saw it. She's an air peculiar, she can float—"

"I know what air peculiars are capable of."

Jacob had enough of this bull.

"Is she here or not?" Ms. Raven was surprised by his outburst. "Is she even here? We believe that she wanted us to come here, but she left, so we left without her, thinking we would find her here. And all of you people tell us is that she's injured but you don't even know how? You think Hollows hurt her, if she even is hurt, that's ridiculous. Hollows can't fire bullets and immediately after it happened we were all kidnapped by you. So, either the Wights were around or someone from here hurt her. Now please, just tell us if she's here or not? And if we can see her?"

"First off, thank you for accusing me or this institute of what happened to her, which I can assure you we had nothing to do with. She is in our infirmary as well as other Ymbryne's from the last war. And no, you can't see her, critical condition means no visitors allowed unless you're a doctor. And may I be frank Mr. Portman, perhaps if you are so worried about your Ymbryne's condition you wouldn't have left without her."

They sat there, defeated, knowing anything they'll say will just be thrown back in their faces. Ms. Raven didn't know shit, this was a waste of time.

"Forgive my outburst. If we could have an escort to our rooms, we can't remember where they are." Jacob said.

"It's all right, Hans will escort you two back. Get some sleep, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. We'll find out what ranks you'll be placed into."

* * *

Jacob opened the door to his room wanting to cry, he was actually relieved that he didn't have a roommate…never mind.

While he and Emma went on their short adventure, Millard somehow managed to move all of his things, a bed, dresser, and desk into Jacob's room.

"Hey, so what have you been up too?"

"A bunch of crap. So how did you…"

"Oh, Hugh isn't a good mate to room with, his bees haven't been out this whole time so they kind of took over the place. I felt uncomfortable."

Jacob couldn't help, chuckling at that.

"You seem down?"

"Yeah well, listen to this."

 **shit will get real at some point, I swear.**

 **that song was from the Greatest Showman, (that's what happens when you write and listen to music). review pretty please, throw your questions, compliments, insults, theories, whatever you have on your mind, toss it my way!**

 **until next time, hopefully it won't take me as long. it sucks because for part 2 i have ideas down, and for later in this, part 1 but the building blocks to that is where i get stuck. so just be patient with me, ill get there at some point haha.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I wrote this before class and almost late, but it's fine haha. I wanted to upload something while I'm on campus because I don't have wifi at my house. Hope everyone enjoys, and Please for the love of birds people review!**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 7

"Hello, and welcome to the Avocet Bunting Academy." Ms. Raven's voice boomed from the speakers. She was standing about ten feet below everyone else on a platform. "Today, you will be tested to find your rightful place in our rank system."

Hundreds of Peculiars sat in auditorium seats. Peculiars of all ages, all kinds. Jacob sat there taking it all in, he couldn't believe how many were there, several were the same age as him.

"The rank system works as so…" Ms. Raven turned to the side as a projection turned on behind her, displaying numbers one to nine. "Ranks one through four, are basic education, children whose ages are above six years old will not be put into these ranks. Rank five is also basic education, those older than ten years old will not be placed in this rank."

They all looked at Claire, she was shaking with nerves. She was going to five, no doubt about it, she just turned eight years old once they got into the academy, since the first shot of the aging potion, that was a requirement, boost everyone's age up. The children learned that this morning, at the very beginning of this assembly. So, Jacob was now seventeen, as was Emma and Millard. It made Hugh eighteen, Enoch and Horace fourteen, Bronwyn sixteen, and Olive eleven. Just like Claire, they all couldn't help but feel nervous, and according to the looks of those around them, they weren't the only ones.

"Now to the important ranks." The screen behind her changed, listing the qualifications for six and seven. "The idea of the rank system is to make you stronger. Each rank focuses on a different part of your abilities." The screen flashed to show six only. "Rank six focuses on your peculiarities control. Depending on your ages, most peculiarities haven't finished developing yet. If you know that your peculiarity isn't finished growing, then you will be put into this rank. But remember, which rank you are placed into is not up to you, but up to your test result. Through an aptitude test, we can determine where your body is in developing your powers. It will determine which training you will receive."

"If we find that your peculiarity is in complete control then you will be placed into rank seven. Those of you here at the assembly are all new to the rank system. This means that seven is the highest ranks you will be put into. You won't proceed to rank eight until you pass seven."

The screen flashed to show the qualities of seven. They were pictures of teenagers using different styles of combat. Some with weapons, guns, knives, bow, and arrows, some were fighting with their fists.

"In seven, you learn combat, your peculiarities are forbidden in this rank. In seven, you will learn to defend yourselves without them."

There was a murmur of surprised gasps from the crowd.

"So, either six or seven. This won't be so bad." Jacob muttered to Emma next to him.

"Ranks eight and nine are for military purposes. None of you need to worry about those yet. Now, if you all will wait here, our team of professionals will call your names escorting you to the testing room. Thank you, and good luck all you." Ms. Raven stepped off the stage and disappeared through a door. The hundreds of children all turned to each other, beginning anxious chatter among themselves.

"Military purposes?" most of them were talking about.

Jacob was curious about that as well when hearing it, he got a chill down his spine. A special military force for peculiars, is that where Abraham went?

They sat there waiting for hours, it took five to ten minutes for each test to be completed, with only five of these professionals working. Escorting kids out, one at a time, the kids didn't come back out either, maybe they were sent somewhere else once the testing was done? What kind of test was this exactly?

"Bronwyn Bruntley." Bronwyn stood up hesitatingly following a man in a lab coat out of the auditorium. The rest murmured good lucks to her as she left.

"I don't get this," Emma said. "How can they test our peculiarities?"

"A survey maybe?" Hugh wondered.

"If it's something written, I don't see how they'll be sure, how will they know if we're not lying," Horace said.

"Oral not written, possibly?" Millard said.

"It's a simulation." A young man with dark hair and freckles said behind them. He was sitting by himself, the academies handbook in his hands. The Peregrines looked at him confused. "The test. It's done by simulations. That's what I heard at least." He had a light Scottish accent and was very polite.

"Emma Bloom." The announcer said.

Emma stood up squeezing Jacob's hand before letting go. "I guess I'll find out." She followed a woman out of the room.

Jacob's name was called next. He smiled a goodbye at the group before following the woman out into the hallway. When he saw that he recognized her he stopped in his tracks.

"Hello again," she said to him. It was the same woman who shot him with narcotics when he first woke up in this place. He remembered overhearing that she was a ymbryne as well. She extended her hand to him. "Tori Cardinal."

"Jacob Portman." He said shaking her hand.

Ms. Cardinal lead him down the hall into a room on the right, inside was a leather chair and a table of various tools and machine. It looked like a dentist office.

"Have a seat."

Jacob hesitatingly eased himself into the chair. _What is she going to do to me? What is she going to do to me?_ Running through his mind.

She stood at a computer typing something in.

"So, how does this test work?" Jacob asked her.

"You sound scared. Don't be scared. It's all right though, Abraham was scared as well."

Jacob sat up, spun around so he could see her. "You knew Abraham? Was he here?"

"I knew him barely, we only spoke a couple of times." She said. "You remind of him, a bit."

"I get that a lot."

"Try to relax, this won't take long." She walked over to the foot of the chair, Jacob leaned his head back against the headrest. She pushed a button on the floor, and the chair reclined backward, it really was like getting your teeth cleaned.

She placed a headset made up of wires and lights onto his head. "Try to relax." She repeated.

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see."

After pressing some more buttons on the machine, she moved to his feet, taking his shoe and sock off his right foot. She held up a needle connected to a device. "Ready?"

"I guess."

She stabbed the needle into the center of the bottom of his foot.

Jacob's whole body convulsed, then his eyes grew droopy. He was falling asleep, and it wasn't narcotics doing it, but something much stronger.

He faded away into the darkness…

When Emma opened her eyes, she was standing in the bog. She looked around curiously, trying to remember how she got here. She slushed around in the muck a while when she heard the growling. The tongues emerged from the mud first, then the arms latched onto the ground. The Hollow rose out of the mud. Emma watched the whole thing, the thought of how she could see it didn't even cross her mind. Her instincts yelled at her to run.

The Hollow grunted almost fully emerged out of the mud by now. Emma's legs were sluggishly moving, the bog was sinking her down with every step she took. She would never get away at this rate. The Hollow lunged itself free, seconds away from landing on her. Emma screamed holding up her hands as a column of flames burst out.

The Hollow fell to the ground thrashing around in the fire. Emma's foot hit a solid surface, she stepped on to it able to run again. She sprinted for her life away from the bog. All around her more Hollows were coming up from the ground like daisies. She kept running past, every time one would get to close, she blasted it out of her way. She ran for miles and miles, that's what it felt like anyway. She stopped in her tracks when she realized that her surrounding changed.

The ground was charred under her feet. Huge red and yellow striped tents stood burning. The smell of burnt roasted peanuts and burnt popcorn wafted through the air. But the screams… they were hundreds of agonizing screams filling her eardrums has everything, everything was engulfed in flames. Emma stood in the burning surroundings, hands pressed against her ears, ash falling from the sky. What kind of hell was this?

A shout rang in her ears clearer than all the others. She removed the hands from her ears, listened closely. The other screams faded away to a dim roar.

"Emma." The voice was saying.

"Emma."

She spun around looking for the source, but there was nothing around her except rubble and flames.

"Emma!"

"Hello?"

"Emma, why?" the voice was pleading.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Emma hollered back into the smoke.

She heard the crunch of the charred grass under her feet, taking tentative steps around her, the voice vanished.

"Hello." Emma tried again. "Who are you?"

She froze, feeling ice cycles forming on her spine, the air was so dry and hot, but she started shivering. A small girl, ten years old or so, was crouched on the ground in front of the giant cage. These cages were used to keep the lions in when not in performance. The girl was crying.

"Hello, you, all right?" Emma asked approaching her.

When the girl looked up, her tears dried, her face turned to stone. "Emma?"

Emma's expression paled, she took steps back. It can't be, it can't.

The girl stood up, her white dress was ripped and singed. "Emma?" She walked closer, as Emma inched further and further away, she looked ghastly, she had blood on her arm. As she inched closer, Emma realized that it wasn't blood, it was black slime.

Emma swallowed the sandpaper feeling that took over her tongue, "Julia?"

Julia was so close to her now, she smelled like Emma's fireproof sheets, the ones that she kept her tied up in in the basement of her old home, and the musty odor of that basement also radiated from this girl.

Emma felt tears welling up in her eyes, she never thought she'd see her sister again. "Julia? What's going on? What is this place?"

"It's the circus Emma, remember." Julia grabbed Emma's hand pulling her over to a wooden board where posters of the performers were placed. All the posters were reduced to ashes except for one. Julia pointed to it. "See. That's you."

 _Come see our beautiful fire breather_ , it read. Emma's fingers brushed the poster, to the picture of her in her skin-tight red, flashy leotard, fire spilling from the mouth like some kind of humanoid dragon. Her hand shook with hatred and she watched the picture burn away, the embers blowing in the wind.

"I thought you looked beautiful." Her sister said. "You didn't think so?" Black slime poured out of her sister's mouth, she used the back of her hand to wipe it away. "Emma?"

Emma held up her hand, she ignited palm facing her sister.

Julia's eyes filled up with tears again, only the water from her eyes was also black liquid. "You would burn me, Emma? You burned the circus away, now you would burn me away too?"

Tears rolled down Emma's cheeks as well. She swallowed down the taste of blood in her mouth, "I don't want to Julia but you're not really here."

"Yes, I am Emma." Her sister pleaded.

Her hand fell away, back to her side.

"I love you, Emma, I miss you so much. I wish you could come home. Won't you come home, Emma, I won't let father know. I promise."

"I miss you too, every day, I never stopped thinking about you."

"Then come with me, Emma." She held her hand out.

Emma took it, the flames on her hand snuffed out. Julia's hand was cold to the touch. Emma quickly let's go. "Wait! My family, Jacob, I can't."

"I'm your family Emma."

"I need to go Julia."

"No. Emma don't leave! Why do you want to leave me?"

"I don't, I…"

"Emma! Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me …"

Her sister convulsed guttering noises and black ink spilling from her mouth and eyes. Emma sunk to her knees in horror, hand over her mouth. The tongues lashed out of her mouth, grabbing Emma's wrists dragging her to her feet, towards her sister unhinged jaw, where row upon row of teeth shown.

"JULIA!" She screamed as the flames erupted out of her hands, turning her sister to ashes. Julia's screams pierced her ears, so loud, Emma was certain her ears were bleeding.

She echoed her sister's screams with her own until the scene around her flashed back into the testing room. The wires were ripped off her forehead, and needle pulled out of her foot, the academy's worker hushing her to get to stop screaming.

"It's over! It's over! You're okay now."

Emma sat up in the chair, her hair and clothes sticking to her body, she was huffing for air, her whole body felt exhausted like she just swam thirty laps in the ocean.

"Lord, yours's was intense. You feel better now?"

Emma ignored the woman, she hated her, she hated this academy for what it just made her go through.

"Take some time, then we need to prep for the next person."

Emma glared at her.

The woman smiled at her, "You were only in there for three minutes. That's a new record." She turned to the screen, Emma lifted her head back enough to see what was on there. She stifled a gasp as she realized everything she just saw was displayed on the screen, the woman flipping through, observing every bit of it.

"Why'd you burn the poster?" she asked her.

Emma looked appalled, her voice came out shaky. "I… I dunno… I just did."

"Hmm." The woman mused. "I can tell you're a hot-tempered one, which is common with fire elementals."

Emma ran a hand through her hair, she bit her tongue, holding in all the insults she was thinking of.

"Do you think you can stand?" the woman asked her.

When her feet touched the floor she almost fell over. After steadying herself she walked out of the room, with the academy worker behind her.

"Go in there." The woman pointed to a room down the hall. A door opened from the room across the hall and a man guided Enoch into the hallway. His eyes met Emma's, he looked pale, she's never seen him like this before. She couldn't imagine what horrors he was forced to have seen. She walked next to him to the room, inside, Bronwyn and Hugh were the only ones in there sitting on the couch.

"How was it for you?" Hugh asked them.

"Fun. I got to watch my father die all over again." Enoch said slumping down on the couch.

Bronwyn had her knees pulled to her chest. Emma sat down next to her, placing a hand on her back. "I saw Victor." She said. "He was buried under all this rubble, I had to get him out. The more rocks I moved the deeper down he went."

"Well I saw my sister turn into a Hollow," Emma told her. She looked to her in horror.

"What about you Hugh?" Enoch asked.

"I saw Fiona die."

The silence in the room grew thick.

"Doesn't matter." He said. "I know it's not real."

"Is no one else done yet?" Emma asked.

As soon as she asked the door swung open, Olive ran in tears pooling down her face. She threw herself into Emma's and Bronwyn's arms.

"The rope snapped, and the wind blew me away, I started suffocating, and the sky turned dark." She sobbed hysterically.

"It'll be all right little magpie, it's over now." Bronwyn soothed to her.

"It wasn't real," Emma told her. she stared at Olive, realizing in awe just how much she reminded her of Julia. "I need some air." She exited the room, finding her outside, leaning onto a balcony.

Jacob's eyes opened with a start. That feeling you get when your asleep and you feel like your falling. He sat up rubbing his eyes. His hand touched the woven fabric of his grandfather's couch. The smell of old tobacco filled the room. He heard a crash coming from the next room. He stood up, walking over to his grandpa's study. He peaked his head in through the door, "Hey what happened? Something crashed."

"Ah, it's nothing, polishing my knives."

Jacob kept rubbing his eyes. His jaw was hurting as well.

"Ugh, I think I clenched my teeth in my sleep again."

"Bad dream?" His grandpa said, still hovered over his desk.

"Hey, grandpa, is there something wrong with my eyes?"

Abraham turned around. His eyes widened, and the knife landed on the floor.

"Grandpa?"

"Stay there." He shuffled for something in a drawer, he pulled out a black sleek box, he pulled a syringe out of it. "Come with me, now!" He grabbed little Jacob's hand pulling him outside into the night.

They walked into the woods, the sound of crickets all around them.

"Grandpa, what's going on?"

"Shh, quiet."

Once Abe felt they were far enough out, he stopped, looking down at Jacob. "All right lad, there's something I need to do and then we can go inside and play."

Jacob shook, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm scared."

Abraham took the syringe filling it with purple liquid from a tube in the box. When the syringe was full, he turned to Jacob. "Come here."

Jacob shook his head, taking a step back.

"Yakob, come here."

"No. I'm scared."

"I'm not going to harm you."

"Then what is that?"

Abe looked down at the syringe. "It's medicine." He lied.

"I'm not sick."

Abe sighed, he took a step closer to Jacob, kneeling to his level. "No, you're not. But something is happening to you, something that happened to me long ways back. I need you to take this, okay."

Abraham sighed in impatience, "Yakob!"

Jacob wouldn't move.

Abraham lunged, pinning him to the ground. Jacob thrashed and screamed.

"You don't understand now, but you will one day."

"Grandpa!" Jacob continued to thrash, fighting him.

"Yakob, please! You're changing, I thought I would have more time. I'm sorry! I need you to take this, it'll delay the effects, I can't take you to the island yet, I won't. So please lad."

He held the syringe above Jacob's eye.

"No! No, no, no, no,"

"Miss Peregrine's life, Emma's life, everyone's lives depend on you being able to control this power."

He shoved the needle into his eye.

Jacob was forcibly pulled out of the simulation. Ms. Cardinal looking at him with concern.

"What? What's wrong?"

"What do you remember?" she demanded him.

"Nothing, I was dreaming about… something weird… I don't."

"Get up!"

Jacob struggled to his feet in confusion.

"Get up! Now! Get out of here before they find out!"

"Why what's going on?"

"I'll have to alter your test, so they don't find out. You'll be placed into seven."

"Ms. Cardinal?"

"I knew Abe, I know what he wanted me to do with you, now please, get out of here, quickly."

She threw him out of the room. Jacob stood in the hallway, he was aware that he had a simulation but couldn't remember a thing.


	8. Chapter 8

**I opened this document in Word and immediately went to change the line and paragraph spacing; double font, times new roman, 12. Writing several papers will do that to you. But good news y'all…I graduated college! I'm so free! Until I decide about graduate school, I'm an English major and I don't want to teach children but I also don't want to write essays my whole life so I don't know what I'm going to do. In the mean time of me being free for the summer, I thought I would write some fanfiction! Yay!**

 **I would like to thank all of the people still reading this story. Thank you for the support and being patient with me, I know I take forever to update and that's annoying, but thanks to the people that have stuck around.**

 **To LDWATSON147: Dude! Or Girl! Don't give up your studying for my story lol, I've done the same thing it's fine hahha, but I hope you didn't fail that revised test.**

 **ZeroFayble: you made me blush and increased my confidence for writing, thank you.**

 **ThatOneChildRuby: you did the same, I've always been interested in stories like this, the kids with powers kind of thing, it feels like there are several out there, adding one to the shelf myself, or anything else, is the dream of mine, so hearing strangers like you say that my writing is good enough to be an actual book warms my heart.**

 **And thanks to everyone who voted on Enorace or Enive? Enolive? What's the actual ship name, I have no clue. But the voting is still up, so shout your favorites at me. And any other favorite ships if you want to see more Jemma (because who doesn't, they're goals), or Millard and Addy which I'm very proud of myself for. And just, any other pairings you want me to explore, I'll do it, I'll try lol. I will show Fiona again, it'll just be awhile.**

 **But enough with my constant ramblings we have a story to get too!**

 **Oh Hey! Can y'all answer something for me. This is to the Miss P book fans: Was Emma born in 1901 or another time? Because if it was 1901 she'd be like 117 or something (English major-can't do math) and that's older than what Enoch said he was, I dunno it feels wrong, I feel like she said in the books that she was 102 or something like that. The answer to this isn't as important it's just something I was always curious about and couldn't figure out. I thought it would be 1901 because then where did Jacob get firegirl1901 at? I don't know, but one of you will, so help a girl out.**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 8

You know how sometimes everything moves at a mile a minute, everything is rushing around you in a giant hurricane and you're standing there in the eye of the storm like "what the fuck!" That's how Jacob felt right now.

He saw Emma leaning on the balcony and joined the spot next to her without even thinking about what he was doing, his mind felt like it was still trapped in the simulation.

Emma turned to him and smiled, but her face melted to worry upon seeing his expression. "Are you alright?"

Jacob stared off blankly, "I not even sure, what I am right now."

"How intense was yours?" Emma suddenly shook as if she had a chill. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

"It was that bad?"

"Wasn't yours?"

"I don't know, I can't remember a thing."

"You're barking!" Emma exclaimed.

"I know I saw Abraham but that's about it."

"I saw my sister."

"Wish I could've met your sister."

Emma smiled at him. "Her face has been ruined in my memory now."

"Don't you have a picture of her?" Jacob asked. He figured the answer would be 50-50, did they even have cameras in Emma's original time?

"I do, but it was back at the house on Cairnholm."

"Oh, that sucks."

After a while of silence, she turned to face him and tears started forming in her eyes, she's a strong girl, so when she cries, it's bad.

Jacob pulled her to his chest, holding her.

"I never thought I would miss that island but I do. I want to be back there, I want to be home." She cried.

"Even though I never knew it as well, I miss it too."

"I wish none of this ever happened."

"We shouldn't have left my parents' house?"

She sniffled and stepped back so she could look at him. "Your parents hated us Jacob."

It wasn't a total lie.

"No, I wish that…" she leaned on the balcony again, looking out at the endless forests. "I wish that you could've stayed with us on Cairnholm for good and that Golan never showed up and none of the problems started, Miss Peregrine going missing, Fucking Caul."

Jacob laughed at that. "That's a good nickname for him."

"You do know that Golan showed up because of me. He followed me to the island." Jacob said.

"Then I wish the Wights never existed in the fist place. I don't regret meeting you. I cherish the day I met you." She smiled warmly, her tears dried up.

"I mean you did almost kill me."

Emma looked confused for a moment then she busted out laughing. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that!" she continued laughing, holding her ribs.

"I can't forget about it, it was traumatizing."

"Oh it wasn't that bad." She was still laughing. "Your face though, you were so afraid of me."

"Well a pretty girl was holding a knife up to my throat in an alley, if it looked like I was trying not to shit myself it's because I was."

She placed her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him into a kiss. His arms snaked around her waste holding her closer.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them break away. "I hate feeling like I'm always the one who destroys these moments for you two. But they want us to head back to our living quarters, everyone's done and our results are in." said Millard.

* * *

Their results were posted on the wall in their lounge. There was no need for Claire to take an aptitude test because she was placed in Rank 5, the rest of them however were placed in Rank 6, except for Bronwyn, Hugh, and Jacob, who were placed in 7.

"This is bloody pathetic!" Enoch shouted. "My peculiarity is entirely developed how could I be placed in 6."

Emma felt the same way. They didn't know what there was for Millard to develop in more but he didn't seem too upset about being placed in 6. In fact, he didn't seem to care about the rank system at all. The only one of them that was satisfied with the placement was Olive. "I'm gonna learn control! I'm gonna learn control! They'll help me not float! And I'll never need these stupid shoes again." She was currently out of her shoes flying around the place in excitement.

There was a knock on the door and Addy let herself in. "Hi, guys."

"Why are you always randomly here?" Enoch said to her.

"Addy, answer something for me." Emma said to her rushing forward.

"Yes, Ma'am." She said with a playful tone and bight smile, Emma got thrown off by such banter. Addy was an extremely friendly and playful person.

"How did those god-awful tests prove that my peculiarity isn't under control enough?" Emma asked her.

Addy looked to the ceiling, face scrunched up in concentration finding the best way to answer Emma's question. "The test studies the brain waves with the peculiarities power in a high emotional and dangerous setting for the user. The lack of the peculiarities control is supposed to be shown through the simulation, the choices made and what not." Addy looked back at Emma's confused expression. "It's hard to explain and makes no since but that's the main gist of it." Emma still didn't look pleased. "I'm sorry, I'm not really the one to explain those kinds of things. I'm curious about how it works myself. I'm training to be a doctor with the medical offices here so I'll ask around."

"You can enter the medical field here? That's awesome." Jacob said.

"Mhhmhh, the regiments aren't the only jobs you can placed into."

"The regiments? What's that?" Jacob asked her.

Before Addy could answer him, Millard came up and gabbed her hand ushering her out the door.

"We going now?" Addy said to him.

"If that's alright?"

"Yeah sounds good."

"Wait, where are you going?" Emma demanded of Millard.

"On a date. Is that okay, Mum."

Enoch choked out a loud laugh.

"Bye." Addy smiled at them, and they shut the door.

"A date? What? We've been here two days!" Emma said.

"Aw he's growing up." Hugh smiled.

Jacob was still curious about these so-called regiments, he could help but wondering if Abraham was here in the Academy way back. Ms. Cardinal said she knew him, and the way she acted after his test? His braining was still spinning. He went into his bedroom to lie down, as much as he loved everyone, he needed to be alone.

On his bed was an envelope, inside read the instructions for rank 7. It was totally combat related, no peculiarity powers allowed. That was also curious to him, he thought that the whole point of the rank system was to make one's peculiarity stronger, why ban it? The instructions said he'd have to report to the gym at 1:00 after lunch, in his gym attire. Jacob sighed, already knowing in his gut he'll be in pain tomorrow night from all the exercises they'll make him do. He laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, he honestly almost drifted off to sleep when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in." he called, expecting it to be Emma.

"Are you okay?" Bronwyn said, hesitatingly walking in.

Jacob sat up into a sitting position. "Yeah, just a bit tired."

She sat down on his bed, she had the same envelope he did in her hand. He forgot that he wasn't the only one that was placed into 7. "What'd you think they'll make us do?" she asked him.

"Probably a bunch of laps and push-ups."

Bronwyn just nodded.

"So, your peculiarity is in complete control huh?" Jacob asked her.

"Supposedly." Bronwyn smiled. "Me and Hugh have had a lot of experience defending yourselves, so I guess that'd be the reason."

"You're impressive though." She beamed at him.

"I am?" Jacob asked unsure.

"Yours's is already in control and it's only been a year since you discovered it."

Jacob stared at the floor, he didn't feel like his peculiarity was completely developed. Ms. Cardinal sounded like she was putting him 7 on purpose. Deep down, he belonged in 6.

Bronwyn stood up from the bed, "well, I'll let you rest." She existed the room.

* * *

The next morning was a blur of new faces and new information. Finding ways around the place was still the biggest challenge. Jacob was late to two of his classes because he couldn't find them. The classes covered basic material, the stuff normal kids learn about in school. Math, science, (gross). It was History that Jacob was interested in, and not just because it was always his favorite subject, but because he was hoping to learn more about Loops and their history. In the end, the only fascinating thing he learned about was the first Ymbryne, a girl named Ymeene. And she's mentioned in the _Tales of the Peculiar_ , so it was something Jacob already would've known about without having to sit in a classroom. He was actually excited about after lunch though. From what he's witnessed so far in his classes, rank 7 is kind of secretive, and that not a lot of the newcomers were placed there.

"Have fun." Emma shouted at him. He left the lounge in gym clothes and headed to gym, Bronwyn and Hugh at his sides.

Not so fun fact, the gym was on the other side of the whole campus. Their legs already ached by time they made it to the gym. Inside, several kids stood around chattering amongst themselves. Everyone of them looked nervous.

"ATTENTION." I guy with a buzz cut and dark skin yelled in the middle of the floor.

Everyone walked over to him, standing around awkwardly. He shook his head looking unimpressed. "We'll work on that."

Wait, did he want them to salute?

"My name is Jackson, at least that's what you'll call me. Welcome to rank 7. You beat your peculiarities crazy potential. You now are in control of keeping them turned on and off. In this case, you'll keep them turned off."

He walked up to Hugh who had four bees chilling on his shoulder. "You hear me? Keep it turned off, or you'll be in a world of suffering."

"Yes sir." Hugh said nervously.

"And remove your hat." Jackson said turning back around to face the whole group.

"I am not your friend. I don't care about your story, I don't care where you came from. I'm here to make you stronger." He began pacing, looking them in the eye one by one. "Some peculiarities are useless in a fight, like bee boy over there." He pointed at Hugh, and some of the kids started snickering, Jacob glared daggers at all of them.

"Some peculiarities are strong," Jackson continued, "like this girl's." He pointed to a skinny girl with platinum blonde hair. "I read in her file that she crafts metal out of thin air and flings it at people. Very useful in a fight." The girl smiled.

"Take down Wights with that power?" He smiled at her, forgetting the rest of them. Was he seriously flirting with her? This guy was like thirty, and her fifteen. Illegal.

"I haven't sir," she blushed.

"Hm interesting."

"This guy killed Wights." Everyone turned their gazes to Jacob. "This 'useless bee boy', he killed six." Jacob's mouth starting moving before he even knew it. Part of him was yelling at him to shut up, but the over half was wanting to stand up for his friend.

Jackson came right in front of his face.

"How many Wights have you killed, sir?" Jacob said.

Jackson smirked. "You think your hot shit because you're a rare peculiar, a Hollowspeak, giving me sass on the first day. What have I ever done to deserve this?"

A bunch of gasps and murmurs and nervous glances were directed at Jacob all at once.

"He's a Hollowspeak?"

"What's he doing here?"

"You watch yourself, Portman." Jackson hissed in his face before walking away.

"Thanks to your sassy ass classmate over there, y'all get to start off with ten laps. LET'S GO!" Everyone moaned and glared at Jacob as they started running.

Jacob was right about the whole first day being nothing but workouts. After three hours of running, sit ups, and pushups. His arms and legs ached so bad he thought they would fall off. He was ready for dinner and sleep.

"Alright, you are all dismissed. Be back here tomorrow, we'll start training."

Everyone filed out of the gym aching and exhausted.

"You didn't have to do that?" Hugh said to Jacob as they were walking back to their courters to shower. "But thank you." He smiled.

"That was rude what he said." Said Bronwyn.

Jacob patted Hugh on the back as a 'your welcome'.

"I think this might be a lot harder than we thought." Hugh said.

* * *

Weeks went by, life in the Academy was running smoothly. Classes were actually easy, no crazy long essays or hard tests. Probably because training time was more important. Within four weeks, Jacob learned martial arts, firing a gun, archery, even sword play. It was like he was preparing for the Hunger Games or something. Leading off from the gym was this so-called 'training room' where all kinds of weapons were held for the students to practice on.

Jacob was getting dressed one morning and actually stopped to observe his body in the mirror, he had several bruises but he was… sculpted. First time he's ever seen abs that were his, and muscle mass. He's dad would have freaked seeing how toned he gotten in just four weeks.

"Perhaps I should take part in all this exercise." Millard said behind him. "So I can appreciate my appearance in the looking glass."

"Can you even see yourself? In the mirror I mean." Jacob asked him.

"I can actually."

"What do you look like? Like, what color is your hair?"

"Light brown, exact shade as Olive's actually. And my eyes are hazel, if you'd like to know."

"'Behind these hazel eyes.'" Jacob started singing. "I need to show you more modern music."

"You do. I much like that Queen."

Jacob smiled, "Not really that modern but okay."

Sharing a room has made Jacob and Millard even closer to one another. You wouldn't believe the girl drama that gets brought up at 1:00 am, right before they drift off to sleep. It was mainly Millard swooning about how great Addy is and Jacob muttering "Uh huhs" till he fell asleep.

"Did you know, she's only been here for two years, and she's in rank 8."

"Her favorite color is pastel pink."

"She's from modern day just like you are you know, isn't that fascinating."

"She likes roses and music, her birthday is in May. She has little dimples when she smiles real big. And her noose scrunches up when she's concentrating."

Blah, blah, blah. The guy was obsessed.

And Jacob thought him and Emma were obnoxious. They were no where close to Miladdy.

"And kissing is so weird, do you think it's weird? I didn't imagine it feeling so…slimy. It's wonderful though. She smells like roses."

"If you think kissing is weird, imagine the sex." Jacob said.

"Oh my goodness, don't make me think of that, it's way too soon."

It was 2:00 in the morning, Jacob was a bit delirious.

"You haven't tried it, have you?" Millard asked him, awkwardly in the dark.

"No, still a virgin, Mill." Jacob mumbled, he was this close to falling asleep.

"Me too."

"I figured."

"Addy's the first girl I've ever been with."

"Emma's the first girl I've ever been with."

"But you two have more experience."

"Just in the kissing department."

Millard sat up in bed, it's because he doesn't have rough exercise every day that his wide awake. "Have you seen her naked?"

"No Mill."

"Have you seen her in her under garments?"

"Almost, but no."

"Shame."

Three minutes of silence went by.

"I wonder what sex is like?" Millard asked.

"All I know is that it hurts the girl at first, but then feels good." Jacob mumbled groggily.

"Hm."

"I wonder if—"

Jacob groaned. "I respect your curiosity man, but please shut up and go to sleep."

Millard closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn't come for another hour, he couldn't help it his mind was spinning. He laid listening to Jacob's peaceful breaths, before successfully drifting off himself.

 **Speaking of sleeping, that's what I'm going to do because it's midnight where I am. Sorry for the late reviews guys, but I hope you enjoy this and please review and let me know your thoughts. Night!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry this took forever guys, i didn't know what to write and i also wanted it to be long and full of importance because long chapters are the key to finishing this story up quicker cause y'all know i take forever to upload lol.**

 **Please enjoy and remember to hit that review button.**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 9

"Hey Kat, what are the regiments?" Jacob asked.

Him and Kat were training, working some more on sword play and archery, because according to Kat, Jacob has terrible aim. They've been teaming up and training together like this for almost a month now. It started when Jacob joined rank 7. Speaking of rank 7, he only had a few more weeks to go before he would be moved up into rank 8. He was so thankful, he couldn't stand the kids in 7. He stayed with Hugh and Bronwyn so he wouldn't have to socialize so much. The Academy encourages the kids to interact outside of their loop families, but not a lot of the Peregrines have made many friends. Kat was the only friend Jacob had made, since being here.

She dodged his attack, twirling her wooden sword behind her back. "You mean the wall regiments?"

"I guess, I heard Addy mention them."

"Dammit Addy." Kat said.

Jacob laughed at her, and lunged in for another strike, which she deflected no problem.

"They're military stuff Jacob, you're not supposed to know about it yet."

"Just tell me please."

She sighed, dropping her weapon. "Take a break."

They sat on the floor, drinking from their water bottles.

"Okay, in the walled cities, there are three military regiments that you can join. After completing the rank system of course. There's the Defense core, or Garrison that defend the cities, the Troopers who are basically just police officers, they maintain peace within the cities, and the Scouts who venture out and fight." **Yes I know this sounds like Attack on Titan, don't judge me XD**

Jacob learned about the walled cities in his history class. Basically, there's a loop exit connected to the Academy's loop that leads to a giant space of land that is too large for a loop to cover. So for defense there are two large stone walls surrounding everything in a big circle. An outer wall, an inner wall, and both have horseshow shaped walls sticking off of them like thorns.

"What are the Scouts venturing out and fighting?"

"Oh there are a ton of Hollows surrounding the outsides of the walls. Wights still come poking around too. There's two entrances and exits to the Academy, the one we drag new peculiars into, like you, and the one from the inner wall. We keep the one in the modern-day city completely hidden, that's why we have to kidnap newcomers and knock them out cold. No one can be allowed to see the Academy's entrance, for security reasons."

"Yeah I think I remember you telling me that."

"The other doorway is through the walled cities, the inner wall actually, right smack dab in the middle of Rose. If the Hollows or Wights do try to get in it, we are all screwed."

Jacob stared at the floor daydreaming, now he really couldn't wait to finish up the rank system and head to the walled city.

"You're thinking about joining the Scouts aren't you?" Kat said.

"It sounds fascinating to me."

"It's a good job for a Hollowspeak. Your peculiarity would be put to good use."

After their break they worked on a few archery lessons before it was time to go.

"I really enjoy hanging out with you Jacob."

Jacob smiled at her.

"We should go out to dinner sometime?"

"Sure."

"Cool, well see ya." She turned and left.

Watching her walk away was when Jacob realized what she just asked him.

"Oh shit, wait." He said to himself. Did she literally just ask him out, and he said yes. Must stop before Emma finds out. "Kat, wait." Jacob hollered at her.

She stopped and turned to face him as he ran towards her.

"I have a girlfriend." He said.

Kat looked confused.

"And she doesn't want you hanging out with your friends?"

"If I'm with another girl she'll probably get jealous."

"But we've already been hanging out."

"Yeah I know but…" Why is this happening, Jacob thought.

"If you don't want to, I get it."

"No, I… it's fine, just as friends."

"Well okay then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Saturday?"

"Yeah, while we have a few hours of free time."

"Okay."

"Bye." She turned and left again, this time he didn't stop her.

* * *

Jacob was sitting at his desk with his nose buried in homework assignments. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even hear Emma come into the room. When she silently poked him in the nose, he jumped.

She crossed her arms and looked down at him with a playful smile on her face. "What are we doing tonight?"

Jacob faced her, setting down his pencil. "Uhh?"

"Saturday means free time, so what are we doing? Don't tell me you're planning on studying all night."

"Oh I was actually going to dinner with Kat, but after that we can walk through the gardens again, or something."

"What?" Emma said.

Jacob swallowed in fear, this was the calm before the storm tone, he knew it well. Maybe he shouldn't have told her, but he didn't want to be dishonest, that would lead to more chaos.

"Kat and I are going out to eat, its no big deal."

"You spend a lot of time with her."

"Yeah, we're training."

"Well are you going to be training tonight?"

"No, that's why I'm looking forward to it…"

"Looking forward to it!?" she said raising her voice.

It at this moment, Jacob knew he just awoke the dragon. He was bad at talking to girls okay, especially while under pressure.

Emma huffed and ran out of his room.

"Emma, come on."

Jacob ran after her. He didn't catch up to her till they were in the middle of the corridor outside.

"Emma, wait."

She whipped back around walking towards him. "No, I hope you enjoy your date tonight."

"It's not like that."

She glared at him.

"We're just friends, calm down."

"Just friends? She's always gawking at you. She has all these duties around here, but she spends all her time with you. Why do you think that is?"

Jacob looked appalled. "She's helping me…train."

"You're stupid." She walked away.

"Emma."

"No! Just go enjoy your bloody date! I don't care!" There were tears in her eyes.

* * *

When it was 5:00, Jacob met Kat in front of the library. She smiled at him. "Ready to go?"

"Kat, I can't go with you."

She frowned, "Why not?"

"Because I have Emma, and I love her. And… I shouldn't be doing this."

"What does that have to do with—wait a minute. Do you think I have feelings for you?"

Jacob looked at her and nodded.

"Oh my god, no. I don't…I."

"You've been super close to me since we first met. I just thought—."

"No Jacob, no. I don't have feelings for you." She looked away like she was embarrassed. "The reason I've been hanging around you so much is… is because we're related."

"We're what?"

"I'm your aunt, I'm a Portman. Why do you think we had the same peculiarity?"

"Hang on…what!?"

Kat grinned at him.

"I've met everyone in my family before."

"So you thought."

"How? Like who is?"

"Do you know if Abraham had any siblings?"

"He doesn't. He escaped from the Germans, his parents died."

"They had another child before they died. Abraham's baby brother. Who grew up and married and had me."

"This is insane."

"When I found out I was peculiar, I was eleven. My parents got gunned down by Wights, I managed to run away. I was hiding in an alley in New York City, when I saw the Hollow peering above me."

Jacob hung on to her every word in disbelief and amazement.

"I screamed at it and ran away. I kept running through the streets when I slammed into a woman and fell on down. She had a kind face and helped me up. She then told me that I could come stay with her, that I was safe now."

"She was your Ymbryne?" Jacob smiled.

"Yeah, Ms. Wren."

"Oh my god, your kidding, Ms. Wren! I met her. She's amazing. I thought she only had a loop for animals?"

"Yeah, that's what lead to her loop's downfall, having more than one at one time. She had the peculiar animals and us. It was me… Addy, believe it or not. She only stayed for a few weeks though, before the loop shut down. The guy I was good friends with was Aspen."

"Are all of them at the Academy too?"

"The few of us that survived to make it here, yeah."

"I'm so sorry Kat. I had no idea. I can't believe you're related to me. How did you know?"

"Hearing your last name. Then reading your file."

"I have a file?"

"Everyone here does. Security safe, remember."

They remained standing in the hallway this whole time.

"Do you know where Ms. Wren is?" Jacob asked her.

"She's here. In the infirmary. A lot of the Ymbryne got severely injured. I know you want to see yours…"

Jacob looked down at the floor, it wasn't just him that wanted to see her.

Jacob and Kat waved goodbye for the night, deciding to have dinner another time. Jacob rushed back to his living quarters hoping to find Emma.

She was in her room, burning paper out of boredom.

"Emma, guess what?" Jacob said sitting on the bed next to her.

"I don't want to talk to you." She said paying him no attention.

"I didn't go out with Kat. But I did find out why she's so attached to me, and it's not because she has a crush on me."

Emma turned to face him. She began smiling when he told her everything.

"I can't believe it, that's great. Abe had a brother. That's so sad though, he must have never known him."

"I guess Kat wanted to get to know me. Still hate her?"

"I never hated her." Emma demanded. Jacob waited a few seconds. "Okay, yes, I hated her."

Jacob nodded.

"But only because she was taking my man away from me."

"No one is going to take me away from you."

Emma grinned while blushing. Just when they were about to kiss the sirens went off.

The sirens rang through the entire Academy. Everyone, students, children and all, filed outside to find out what was going on. Faculty members yelled at everyone to get back inside. Guards were running around everyone, Jacob and Emma chased one down for information. Jacob heard a piece of their conversation before a teacher grabbed Emma and him and forced them back inside their living space.

"What do sirens mean?" Horace asked.

"Nothing good." Said Millard.

"I heard one of the guards talking." Jacob said. "It sounded like he said that Wights are in the area."

* * *

Everything began going to hell with the sound of a siren.

* * *

The whole Academy went on lock down, so said the voice over the intercom. They haven't actually gotten into the Academy, they were still sniffing around outside. All the officials at the school were working hard to make sure they say out and to find out more information.

The next morning, the lock down ended and everyone was free to go on with their activities. People were still hesitant and nervous though. Jacob and everyone overheard a guy say at a nearby lunch table that this is what its like to live within the walls, with a threat around every corner, so everyone better get used to it.

Everything stayed normal until Jacob got called to meet with the head Ymbryne, Ms. Raven.

"We've been working on restoring the loops damaged in the war. One of those is yours, on the island of Carinholm." She said. Jacob sat in her office across from her.

"Seriously? How?"

"Time manipulation." She said like it was the most understandable thing in the world.

"I called you in here, because I want to trust you. We are forming a rebellion and I want you to be the poster child."

"Why me?"

"You took down a Wight clan."

"I didn't take them down, Ms. Peregrine did. I was huddled up the ground. All I did was see some souls stuff in jars."

"And you controlled about thirty Hollows and lead the charge. You left your mark on this war, making history you didn't even know you made. I want you to lead again."

Jacob's head was spinning.

"After we restored your Ymbyne's loop, something bad happened. Wights flew in on air craft and started dropping fire bombs. We believe that they we're looking for your loop family and hoping to destroy you. We also believe that this was accomplished by one clan, the clan you fought. Led by Jack Peregrine."

Jacob shook his head. "Jack Peregrine is dead."

"The children's home ended up being unscathed, fortunately."

Jacob furrowed his face in confusion. "They didn't bomb the loop? Then where did the bombs go?"

Ms. Raven looked grim. "Carinholm has been blown off the map, son. They didn't know the loop was restored, they aimed for the entire island, there's no sign of life remaining."

Jacob turned pale. His blood felt like ice in his veins. He didn't believe what he was hearing.

"Then that same Wight clan showed up in the city in New York right outside our doors, we consider this a sign of attack."

Jacob couldn't stop staring at this spot on the carpet in horror.

"I'd like to start forming a rebellion quickly, but for now, we'll rely on security. There's no way they're going to get in. As for going to war later, can I count on your support?"

"I… I don't know."

"No rush answering now, you'll have to finish your training to rank nine anyway. I know I just dropped a lot of weight on you…"

"Can I see it?" Jacob asked looking up at her.

"See what?"

"The house. Can I go there?"

"It's too dangerous, if Wights were to see you—"

"So what. You just said you wanted me to be the face of the rebellion, me being on the island would send them a message."

She thought for a while.

"Alright."

Jacob felt relieved.

"You make a good point, so I'll send out a camera person. You'll be escorted in one of our helicoptors. With guards."

"Okay."

"And only you can go, no one else from your family."

"That's really unfair, they know that place better than I do."

"It was your idea."

"And you can only stay on the island for a few hours." She added. "We'll go in a week."

 **It's starting to get serious guys! At least that's my plans.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys! Another chapter for you! I wanted to keep adding to this one to make it really long, but I kept running into writer's block and really wanted to upload something so i cut it off and here it is. As always, please review share your thoughts with me, they really do help me with inspiration and motivation. "It filled you with DETERMINATION" can you tell i'm a geek? lol**

 **but please read and enjoy!**

Everything is a Loop

Chapter 10

Jacob laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. One week, he would get to see Carinholm in one week. At first, he felt excited, but after thinking on it for a while, he dreaded it. It's not fair for only him to go. He hasn't even told the others about it yet. He didn't want to worry about it too much, or the fact that Ms. Raven wants him to be the face of a rebellion, right now he needed to focus on getting sleep. On the way back from Ms. Raven's office, he heard that the final exam for rank 7 is starting tomorrow on Monday. Moving up out of 7 was the only thing he cared about right now, he couldn't wait for tomorrow afternoon.

Millard opened the door, interrupting Jacob's thoughts.

"Hey," Jacob mumbled at him. He was wearing a nice button up shirt and dress pants. "Were you on a date again?"

"Possibly," he teased vanishing out of sight while he stripped. "What did the dictating bird want? That's what Addy calls her," he chuckled, "the dictating bird."

"She wants me to be the 'face of a rebellion'," Jacob said using air quotes.

"Things are getting serious again, aren't they?" Jacob could hear the worry in his voice.

Tell him about Carinholm, tell him about Carinholm.

"Yeah they are." Jacob said. "Well I have my rank exam tomorrow so I'm going to sleep."

"Oh, rank 6's is tomorrow as well." He said. "For those ready to move up anyway, I'm not one of them."

Jacob sat up in his bed. "What are you learning in 6?"

A floating pair of pajama pants sat down on the bed across from his. Millard reached over to the desk lamp, turning off the lights. "They expect everyone to be able to turn their peculiarity on and off like a light switch. But some are not that easy, mine for example. I can't turn it off. But the teacher demands that I keep trying. To think visible thoughts and all kinds of rubbish."

"I'm sorry man,"

"Oh, its quite alright. Like I told you before Jacob, I've excepted who I am a long time ago. I don't care about the rank system. It just leads up to fighting anyway. And I don't want to fight, I want to educate."

"You really think you'll be able to teach here?"

"Well I can't really go to the public-school system…"

Jacob laughed, "Not unless you master that visibility."

"I've decided to go for it. Horace gave a bit of motivation the other day."

"You know how sometimes he spews out a notion of the future that is actually helpful." Millard continued.

"Yeah." Jacob said as they laid in the dark of their room, a glow from the moonlight seeping through the window.

"He told me, "I hope that all our children will enjoy Mr. Nullings class one day", that's what he said."

"Did he mean children from like…our group, or just in general?"

"Who knows."

"Who in our group is going to have children?" Jacob said after a long pause.

"Probably you and Emma," he said.

"Yeah but who else?"

"Maybe we'll get new members, it's common for children to come and go in loops."

* * *

Monday afternoon. Exam time. What this exam was going to be, was beyond Jacob. It could be anything with rank 7, he was just excited to get it over with.

"Alright babies who's ready?" Jackson snarled at everyone when they were lined up in front of him in the gym. "Here's how we're doing this. Your exam will be simple. Hand to hand combat, I'll pair you up with someone and you'll tough it out on that mat over there. The winner moves on to 8, the loser, has to try again tomorrow. I want three groups fighting today." He looked down at a list in his hands. "Joel and Edward, you're up first. Then I want Makenzie against Bella, and Hugh and Jacob."

Hugh and Jacob glanced at each other in astonishment. Jacob was so relieved that he didn't have to go up with someone he didn't trust. Then again this meant he would have to hurt Hugh, which he didn't like.

"Like I said, this is simple. All you need to do is knock your opponent down and keep them on the ground. No killing, we gotten in trouble with that before, and no peculiarities. Begin." He blew a whistle.

This would be easy, him and Hugh always got along great. Yeah one of them might get a little banged up but not to too bad.

The first fight only lasted a few minutes, Edward was made of nothing but muscle compared to his opponent so it was easy to see why. Joel laid passed out on the ground with a bloody broken nose. Jacob was so thankful that he wouldn't be going up against someone like that, someone that didn't care who he was so they don't mind punching his face in.

Two guys carried Joel away to the infirmary. Jacob admitted it, he was nervous as hell, but confident. He kept glancing at Hugh, sizing him up. He was tall and gangly, not a lot of muscle, it shouldn't be too hard to pin him down. Besides the poor guy is nothing without his bees to protect him.

The next fight lasted ten minutes or so. They were both good, and terrifying, but entertaining. Why is it girl fights are so entertaining? The girl named Bella ended up winning by tackling Makenzie down from behind.

"Hugh, Jacob you're up next."

Jacob swallowed hard. Bella and Makenzie sat next to each other on the floor, Bella comforting her and asking if she was okay. They were friends. Jacob would use the same tactic as them. He and Hugh stepped on to the mat. "Ready?" They both choose their fighting stance. He would sneak around Hugh and pull him to the ground, piece of cake, he didn't look like he weighed that much, and Jacob has gained several pounds in muscle throughout the past month. "Begin." Jacob looked into Hugh's eyes, they were unreadable. Sound of a whistle.

They moved around each other, watching each other's movements. Jacob saw Bronwyn's nervous look in the corner of his eye. Don't worry Bronwyn, this won't be that bad, Jacob thought. They kept mirroring each other's movements. "Sometime today please." Jackson said.

Jacob was trying to get behind Hugh, but it wasn't working. He kept looking in Hugh's eyes trying to signal the plan to him, Hugh remained blocked off, it was like he was a different person. Jacob realized too late that while he was busy expecting himself to win, Hugh was doing the same.

Hugh swung his fist in the air, just barely missing Jacob's eye as he dodged out of the way. He took another swing. Jacob dodged to the left. The look in his eyes was determined. Jacob tried taking aim at his shoulder and landing a blow, but Hugh was faster than him. He swung around him punching Jacob in the side. Jacob yelped and jumped back. Hugh kept the punches coming, landing a blow on Jacob's arm. Jacob was too distracted by all this that he couldn't concentrate. All his training with rank 7 and Kat was thrown out of him mind. Hugh land a blow to his jaw knocking him to the ground.

He heard Bronwyn gasp.

All of a sudden, Jacob refused to be beaten.

He swung his legs up and jumped to his feet with skill. Even though he had no clue how he just did that. It took Hugh by surprise though, which is exactly what he wanted. He punched him square in the gut, causing Hugh to double over groaning. Seeing him in pain though, made Jacob hesitant, giving Hugh the time to jab him on the inside of his elbow. He punched the other side of Jacob's jaw. Jacob tasted blood in his mouth. He found his focus again dodging out of the way on a few other attacks. He was still trying to get behind Hugh, thinking he could tackle him to the ground if he surprised him enough.

How long has it been since the fight started, it felt like a hour. His arms and face ached. He was considering just giving up, but that wouldn't be right. Abe wouldn't have given up, he never lost a fight. Jacob has that same strength in him somewhere. He rushed at Hugh, tackling him down. Hugh kneed him in the gut, Jacob cursed rolling on his back, holding his side. Hugh stood up, standing over Jacob looking like he was about to step on him. Jacob rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet again. A part of him was screaming to stay down, but he had to try.

He had bruises and blood running down his chin. Despite the pain, he took his fighting stance. His eyes were practically begging Hugh to let this end. Hugh's eyes remained unreadable, but Jacob could tell he was determined to win at all costs. A red-hot feeling welled up inside him, he inhaled deeply through his nostrils and punched Hugh in the face. Hugh's balance faltered. He moved around and elbowed Hugh in the back. He fell to his knees, catching himself with his palms.

"Hugh."

He swung his legs swiping Jacob's out from underneath him. Jacob's black slammed against the mat. He stood up, placing one foot gently but firmly on Jacob's right arm.

Jacob was pinned down, the match was over.

"New rule," Jackson said. "Finish him and I'll let you both pass."

Jacob glared at the man. Then looked to Hugh, shaking his head.

Hugh looked down at him, raising his other foot. His eyes showed that he was sorry, he strikes and everything went black.

* * *

In Jacob's dream, he was in his bedroom from back at home. He sat up cautiously in his old bed. Something pounded from inside his closet making him jump. Jacob got out of bed and walked towards his closet door, the pounding continued until he was inches from the door. "Let me in." a voice said. Jacob didn't recognize it. "You should learn to watch your back," it said. "And to watch your pack." A rhyme from a _Teen Wolf_ advertisement, this is what Jacob's mind has succumbed too. As stupid as this dream seemed the voice gave Jacob chills, because it didn't sound human.

Jacob woke up covered in sweat. At the slightest twitch of his arm, his whole body protested in pain. He groaned trying to sit up. He was in the infirmary building. Bronwyn was sitting on the bed leaned over him, staring at him with worry.

"You alright?" She asked.

Jacob didn't answer. "Did I pass? What happened?"

"Jackson said you and Hugh fought so well and showed great defense that he let both of you pass, even though you lost."

Jacob's head fell back against the pillow. Sitting up hurt.

"Please don't be angry with Hugh," Bronwyn said "I know he didn't mean it personally, he was just…getting through the challenge. I know he's sorry for banging you up."

"Wyn. It's okay, I'm not mad at him." It was true, Jacob wasn't mad, but he did feel betrayed somehow, he knows Hugh probably didn't mean it personally, Jacob can't really talk, he was planning on beating Hugh in the first place. He would have done it without injuring him though, or would have liked too. It just made him realize, when it really comes down to it, will these peculiar friends of his protect and help him, or fight for themselves? Watch your pack, watch your back. Well what's done is done, he made it out of rank 7, not looking like a hero however.

* * *

He was released from the infirmary at dinner time. Still sore and grumpy, he made his way to the dinning hall. His family barraged him with concerned questions once he sat down with his tray, apparently, they heard from Bronwyn about what happened. Hugh wasn't in the dinning hall yet.

"Is it true that bee boy actually pounded you to the ground?" asked Enoch, "Cause that's hilarious."

Emma glared at him, "I can't believe he did that! He knows better." She said.

"It was apart of our exam," Bronwyn said.

"Well it's foul."

"Where is Hugh?" Jacob asked.

"Looking for revenge?" Enoch said.

"No, just curious."

"This is why I'm quitting the rank system." Millard spoke up. "Meaningless fighting, that leads up to what?"

"Leaving this place," said someone behind them, "That's what it leads up to." They turned around watching Hugh take his seat next to Jacob on the end. "I'm sorry for hurting you," he said looking into Jacob's eyes. He meant it, his expression looked so glum that Jacob immediately forgave him.

"Why would you want to leave?" said Enoch, "This place is great." Most of them looked at him like he was crazy. "Don't you see what they're doing? They're turning us into an army, teaching us how to fight and defend ourselves, something the loops never did."

"I rather be home," Horace said.

"There is no home for us anymore, this is our home now." Enoch said.

Jacob stared down at the table. The time to tell them couldn't be more perfect, he had to do it.

"Actually there is." He started. He told them about how Ms. Raven said their loop home on the island was restored, he then went on to tell them how Enoch was right that Ms. Raven was building the peculiar children into an army, or more accurately, a resistance that she wanted Jacob to be apart in.

Emma was the first to start to the discussion. "Why? What's going on that she needs a big army? She wants us to fight but won't say what's going on."

"All I know is that the Wights bombed Carinholm and they've been snooping around the city outside the academy." Jacob said.

"Why would the Wights bomb normals?" Horace asked.

"They were looking for us, so I guess they thought it would be easier just to wipe out the whole island."

"Can we find Ms. Peregrine and go home then?" Olive said.

"Ms. Peregrine is in the infirmary building." Jacob said.

"So they say." Replied Emma.

"Crap, I was in the infirmary, I didn't even think to check around."

"You wouldn't have been able too," said Hugh, "I was there too, they're were guards everywhere and the nurses don't let you walk around."

"I also noticed that." Bronwyn said.

"I think they're on the bottom level though." Hugh said. "I noticed a lot of academy officials going down the elevator making sure they weren't being followed." He looked at Millard, "And your girlfriend was one of them."

"So, Addy wants to be a doctor, she spends most of her time in the infirmary." He said.

Emma pointed a finger at him, "You need to talk to her and find out what she knows."

"She's not going to know where Ms. Peregrine is."

"Are you sure about that?" Emma said.

They couldn't tell but Millard was blushing profoundly. "I don't want to do anything that will make her angry with me." He mumbled.

"Mill, if she cares about you she won't get mad. She has to understand where you're coming from. She had an Ymbryne too." Jacob said. "And Addy's cool, she won't mind. I could ask her myself if you want."

"No, it's fine," Millard said. "I just didn't want to feel bothersome."

"Well if we do find Ms. Peregrine and get a chance to go back home, I say we go for it." Emma said.

"I'm not going." Said Enoch. They all looked his way.

"What is wrong with you?" Emma said.

"I want to fight. I want to stay here." He was dead serious.

"Getting out of here won't be as easy as you think Emma." Jacob told her.

"I know that,"

"It. Won't." He had to make sure she understood. They all knew how she could be.

"The only way out is to finish the rank system." Hugh said. "They said that on day one, get through rank 9 and you can go wherever you want."

"Rules can change." Horace said.

"Well Jake and I are rank 8 now," Hugh said putting his arm around Jacob, he winced a tab bit at the touch, "and they say that 8 can last either a week or a year, just depends." Hugh continued.

"Depends on what?" Jacob asked.

Hugh shrugged. "Dunno, but I'm getting out of here. I have to get out of here. While you all argue over running back to the island, I'll be looking for Fiona."

All of us went silent.

"Hugh—" Emma said.

"I'm the only one who realizes that she's not here. I'm getting out of this Academy if it's the last thing I do." He stood up from the table and stormed off.

Jacob watched him go, frowning. He remembered what Hugh said back in the cave, about how he would choose Fiona over Ms. Peregrine and all of them if he had too. That's why he didn't mind pummeling Jacob to the ground today. Fiona was more important to him than anyone else.

* * *

When the dinner rush was over, Millard took a deep breath and walked over to where Addy was standing chatting with a girl with blonde hair. He stood there waiting for a bit out of respect, the gang walked by him on their way out, giving him smiles and thumbs up for encouragement. Jacob patted him on the back.

"Hi!" Addy smiled brightly at him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How was your day?"

"Great, can I ask you something?" Millard said blushing.

"Sure, let's go for a walk."

They exited the dining hall holding hands. They took a slow stroll through hallways and courtyards, stopping outside by the fountain.

"So what is it you wanted to ask me?"

"I seem to have lost it," he said feeling hot under the collar, "that's a lie, I'm not… you make me nervous." He blurted out blushing.

She only laughed sweetly at him.

"It's okay, take your time." She said grinning.

"It's just, I'm not used to this. I don't really know what I'm doing. Every time I see you I get butterflies in my stomach and my palms get sweaty."

"Millard," they faced each other. "You're doing great," she smiled up to him sweetly. "I want you to be yourself, I'm not high maintenance or anything."

They sat down on the fountain in the courtyard.

"I can tell that this is your first relationship." She said.

"Oh you're the first new girl I've talked to in eighty years." He laughed along with her. "I'm not joking," he added. "There has only been six girls that I know. One of them is too old for me and that would have been inappropriate. Others were either already taken, but they also weren't my type. And the last two are too young and that'd be inappropriate."

She remained laughing and smiling brightly at him throughout his speech. "So what is your type?" she asked.

"You."

They both laughed. "I mean, you know, you're smart and sweet. I don't actually know what drawn me to you. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life."

"Wow. That was hard core flattery."

"I…had a boyfriend back home," she said after a pause. "Adam." Millard watched her as she talked. "We worked together… at Kroger, it's a super market," she said after seeing Millard's confused look, he kept forgetting that she's from modern day like Jacob. "I started vanishing," she swallowed, "it started in my hand instead of my feet for some odd reason." She chuckled, "Since it usually always happens in the feet,"

"And works its way up," Millard said.

"Yeah, mine didn't do that. I was at work and my hand vanished, and it started spreading up my right arm. Me and Adam were outside getting the buggies…or uh shopping carts back in, and it was January so it was cold. I quickly shoved my hand into my hoodie pocket and kept on working, acting like nothing was wrong." She laughed as if the memory was now hilarious to her, even though at the time it must have been terrifying. "Well Adam noticed something was wrong, because he was always good at that. And he cornered me, demanding to see my arm, thinking that I was hurt, that a spider bit me or something."

"He freaked didn't he?" Millard asked.

"Actually when he yanked my arm out, it looked normal. Completely visible. And I thought that I was just going crazy and seeing things. Then another day, my arm disappeared again. I was in my bedroom, leaning on my bed and my dad was talking to me. I shoved my arm under my pillow, he didn't notice anything. Few minutes later it turned visible again, and I was starting to get scared, thinking there was something wrong with me. Then a few more days past, I vanished completely, in my living room in front of my mom. We were chatting about church or something, I can't even remember, and she suddenly screamed and passed out. Minutes later, my dad came home and freaked out, then I turned visible again and he looked at me like I was demon."

Millard's heart ached for her, her story sounded very similar to his, the day he began disappearing. "What'd your dad do?"

"He locked me in my room. And I don't know why I did it, but I called Adam and told him everything. Don't know why, maybe it's just my modern-day teenage girl mind and our quick access to technology. He thought I was joking with him, but then after I begged him that I wasn't kidding, he got concerned and rushed over to check on me. My dad just turned him away at the door. The next morning, a woman with light blonde hair and a kind face knocked on my door and told my parents that she was going to take me to a special boarding school for kids like me."

"It was Ms. Wren?"

"Yeah, I packed up my things and walked to her car with her and we drove off. Adam kept calling me and she told me not to answer, that my life was going to change. I only got to stay with her in loop for a day, before she got called to one of her other loops in London and told Kat to take all of us to the academy. And I've been here ever since." She finished her tail looking up at him, reading his expression. "I'm sorry for the random life story,"

"Oh no, no, it's great. Thank you for telling me. It's quite similar to mine actually. I was a baker's boy. I was eleven when I started vanishing and the same thing happened to me, my parents thought I was some kind of devil and they threw me out on the streets where I met Ms. Peregrine… and I'm just now remembering what I need to talk to you about."

"Addy," he looked into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. "My Ymbyrne is in the infirmary?"

She sighed and glanced around her like she was wishing this conversation wouldn't happen.

"She is."

"Have you been seeing her?" he asked, "my buddy Hugh said that he saw you and academy officials going down to the lower level where the Ymbrynes are."

"Millard…" she interrupted him. "I care about you and I like you a lot, but I can't tell you, I'm sorry." She began frantically shooting glances around her at all the buildings as if making sure they weren't being watched. She held up arm showing him the rubber, electronical bracelet on her arm. He honestly never noticed what is was before. She was trying to tell him something, she was mouthing the word paper to him and making the gesture of needing to write something down.

"Let's go back inside, it's getting late." She said. She grabbed his arm and they ran back inside, she made her way to her own living quarters with him following her. In her bedroom she grabbed a piece of notebook paper and wrote down the words 'they're always listening to me.' He then realized that the thing around her wrist, was a tracker and a microphone. Millard grabbed the piece of paper and wrote down, 'who?' and 'why?' She mouthed the word Raven, and wrote down, 'security reasons, so we don't fall out of line.' This was the woman's way of forming an army. "Me and Kat have always been really close friends, she's learning her Ymbryne training from Ms. Raven. And I help out as well." She chose her words carefully. Millard felt furious, he wanted to tear that thing off her arm and take her away from this place along with the rest of his family. She wrote down some more phrases on the paper. 'Your Ymbryne is healing, she can barely move, I sit and talk with her and do what Ms. Raven tells me.'

'What happened to her?' Millard wrote down.

'She was shot in her bird form.' Addy wrote. 'The doctors did some kind of procedure that I haven't learned about to turn her back into a human so she wouldn't be trapped in her bird form. The procedure leaves them in a critical state where she can barely move or speak but is getting better every day.'

She also wrote down, 'She enjoys seeing me come in. I talk with her and tell her about you and her children. She wants me to stay with you all.'

"There's not much else I can do." Addy whisper very faintly. If Millard wasn't but inches away from her he wouldn't have been able to hear.

"Thank you." He whispered back.

She wrote down one last final phrase and handed the paper to him. It said, 'make sure your friend burns this.'

 **I hope everyone likes Addy, she basically myself. i'm not kidding, her personality and description fits mine, except i where glasses because staring at screens for so many years messes up your vision.**

 **And i do love Millard like her, although actually my favorite Peculiar is Horace, and Olive, i adore Olive to bits, i want her to be my child. And i like Horace because i can see the real potential in him, and everyone always shoots him down and says he's worthless. In my eyes, i think he is a very important character. One of the things i hated about the movie is how he did basically nothing and it actually made him look worthless.**

 **But enough of my ranting, click that review button down there, tell me who your favorite Peculiar is. And that Enorace or Enolive poll is still open, it will be for a long time, so give me your opinions.**


End file.
